Historic success in F4
Max Karhan fought hard for his first win in F4 Central European Zone. Throughout the weekend on Slovakia Ring he was in the top five, but he left his best drive for last.
Czech driver Max Karhan made his debut in F4 CEZ in the second half of last season. He started for Swiss team Jenzer Motorsport, gaining his first experience of Formula 4 on the big circuits. He has been gradually getting faster and this year he was already thinking about a podium.
When he arrived at Slovakia Ring – the third round of the season – he shined with the fourth best qualifying time. He was just one step away from his dream podium finish in Saturday’s first race, but in the end he just missed out on the third place by 0.1 seconds.
He started the second race from fourth place and was again in the leading group where they didn’t give an inch of track away for free. Tight battles, small contents here and there and frequent overtaking manoeuvres characterised the second sprint at the Slovakia Ring. Max Karhan started on older tyres and again, finished fourth. He had saved a fresh set of Pirelli tyres for the last sprint.
Max Karhan started from the front row for the final race and immediately took the lead. Although he was briefly overtaken by his team colleague Oscar Wurz, who started from fifth, he didn’t let him get away. On the contrary, he attacked him and looked for any opportunity to overtake. Jonathan Corerella took advantage of their duel and their drive to the finished turned into a spectacular show.
In the final stages of the race, Max Karhan made a winning manoeuvre and this time left Wurz behind for good. He crossed the finish line with a lead of 0.8 seconds and celebrated his first victory with emotions.
“This is a huge success for me and my career and I hope that more will follow. I’m already looking forward to more great battles on the track,” Max said. After five years, he’s the first Czech who won a Formula 4 race, certified by the FIA. Last time this happened was thanks to Roman Staněk in 2019 in ADAC F4.
Max is a part of F4 Academy, where he coaches and looks after the next generation of racing drivers. He is also the official representative of the Autoclub of the Czech Republic and is among the competitors in the biennial FIA Motorsport Games.
Max Karhan will take part in the next season of Formula 4, which will take place at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo Valenciana in Spain in October.
