Qualifying sessions shaped the team’s results, as despite giving everything to recover positions, there is still room for improvement to continue progressing.
On February 28 and March 1, Circuito de Madrid Jarama hosted the second round of the EuroCup-4 Spanish Winter Championship. For GRS Team, it marked the first visit to the iconic Madrid circuit since the 2024 season.
After a difficult start to the season in Portimão, the team returned determined to improve its performance. GRS fielded Pablo Riccobono in its line-up. The French-Spanish driver came from a challenging opening weekend, where several incidents prevented him from showing his full potential, and was aiming to build consistency.
Friday featured three test sessions, providing valuable track time to gain experience and gather data at a circuit as unique as it is demanding.
Saturday began with the first qualifying session. It was not an easy session for the team, and Pablo secured 29th place on the grid for both Race 1 and the Sprint Race.
In both races, Riccobono demonstrated highly competitive pace and improved on his starting position. In Race 1, he made an outstanding start, gaining multiple positions on the opening lap. After giving everything in midfield battles, the #74 eventually finished 20th. The Sprint Race followed a similar pattern: after another strong start and a Safety Car period, Pablo fought for a Top 20 finish before ultimately crossing the line in P22.
On Sunday, Pablo improved his best lap time of the weekend in Qualifying 2. However, the progress was not enough to improve his grid position, meaning he would start the final race from 29th. His race was short-lived, as he was involved in an incident at Turn 1 that forced him to retire. Riccobono exited the car with pain in one of his fingers, though fortunately a fracture was ruled out.
This brings to an end a truly challenging weekend, in which the team, running a single car, faced difficulties in fighting further up the field. Nevertheless, positive conclusions can be drawn, particularly regarding race pace. The driver and the entire team have worked at maximum effort and will keep doing so in pursuit of stronger results. In two weeks’ time, the Spanish Winter Championship will conclude with the third round at MotorLand Aragón on March 14–15.
