The second round of the Formula 4 Spanish Championship season took the team to the spectacular Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, where GRS faced multiple setbacks and unfortunate incidents throughout the weekend.
The second round of the 2026 Formula 4 Spanish Championship took place on June 5–7. The series visited the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, a circuit renowned for its demanding layout and spectacular nature, featuring technical sections and dramatic elevation changes that test drivers’ abilities on every lap.
GRS Team entered the event with three drivers representing the Valencia-based squad. Joining Pablo Riccobono and Alfons Miettinen, who had competed for the team in the opening round, was Andre Rodriguez. The American driver contested his first Formula 4 event with GRS after having participated in the opening round of the EuroCup-3 season.
The team arrived at the Portuguese venue early in the week, as Official Collective Testing took place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Those two days, combined with Friday’s pre-event test and free practice sessions, allowed both the team and its drivers to approach the weekend well prepared and with valuable mileage under their belts.
Saturday began with the first qualifying session. Once again, the level of competition throughout the field was incredibly close, meaning every tenth of a second could result in significant gains or losses on the grid. Our drivers pushed hard and showed encouraging pace, but it was not enough to move out of the lower half of the field. Pablo qualified P29, with Andre in P30 and Alfons in P33.
Race 1 began with immediate difficulties for the team. Miettinen suffered an electrical issue on the formation lap and was unable to start the race. At the same time, Riccobono stalled his car and was forced to start from the pit lane. Rodriguez was battling to gain positions until he was forced to pit with damage. Fortunately, a red flag period allowed the team to repair the car in time and eliminated Riccobono’s gap to the rest of the field. At the restart, the French-Spanish driver launched an impressive comeback drive that saw him climb to a strong 16th-place finish. Rodriguez, meanwhile, retired a few laps before the end after being hit by another driver.
Later in Race 2, all three GRS drivers once again focused on making their way through the field. Pablo was leading the team’s charge until he was forced to retire in a bizarre incident, having been struck from behind by another competitor while the race was neutralised under Safety Car conditions. Andre finished P25, while Alfons crossed the line in P29.
The accident left Riccobono with a wrist injury. On Sunday, car Nº. 74 attempted to take part in qualifying, but the pain forced him to bring his weekend to an early end. In Qualifying 2, Rodriguez secured P30, with Miettinen in P33.
Race 3 brought an unfortunate conclusion to a weekend filled with setbacks. Both drivers were battling in the lower part of the field when Rodriguez, while attempting to gain positions, spun under braking for Turn 5. The American’s car came to a stop directly in front of Miettinen’s path, leaving the Finnish driver with no opportunity to avoid contact. As a result, both drivers retired in what was an extremely unfortunate incident.
This brings to an end a race weekend to forget. The team’s qualifying performance limited its opportunities, although race pace was considerably stronger. Unfortunately, bad luck with incidents and other issues prevented the team from making meaningful progress during the races, resulting in outcomes that fell short of expectations.
The Formula 4 Spanish Championship will return on June 19–21, when MotorLand Aragón hosts the third round of the season.
