F4 race 1 at the Circuits of The Americas in Austin, Texas on October 23, 2021. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
When Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) entered the weekend, four drivers were mathematically eligible for the driver championship. Among those drivers, Jason Alder entered the weekend third, 25 points back from the leader, and knew he would need a near perfect weekend to secure the 2021 F4 U.S. Driver Championship title. On Saturday afternoon, he checked off his first box with a win in Race 1 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) driving his No. 77 Velocity Racing Development Ligier JS F4.
As the lights went out, Alder was in the fourth position. A methodical start allowed him to take over the lead on the backstretch just before the caution flag waved to bring the field back together. An aggressive restart on his Hankook Tires allowed Alder to go three-wide into Turn 1 to maintain first place before steadily hitting his marks, and sailing off toward the checkered flag and provisional race win.
“Race 1 really couldn’t have gone much smoother,” said Alder after the race. “Hopefully I’m not speaking against what will happen in Race 2. But I’m feeling confident starting on the front row with my teammate, provisionally, next to me. The car is right where I want it to be going into the final race. The VRD guys do a great job getting the car to where I need it to be to do my job. I’m looking forward to doing the exact same thing again in Race 2 that we were able to do in Race 1.”Noel Leon, who entered the weekend as the points leader, finished second in the 10-lap Race 1 at COTA. Leon had a steady performance, both starting and finishing the race in the second position.
“It’s good for the championship, we only need to finish on the podium and that’s it, then we are the champion. Let’s hope tomorrow for a good race and good fun.”Christian Weir drove the No. 31 Ligier JS F4 for Gonella Racing to a third-place finish. It was his second podium in just four F4 U.S. starts for the 15-year-old driver from Naperville, Ill. For Weir, it was an exciting race from start to finish with lots of opportunity for close competition.
“I had an amazing start,” said Weir after the checkered flag. “I just got kind of boxed in in turn one and fell back to fourth. But I kept moving around, made it back up to third and then fell back to around sixth. Going into turn 1, I managed to pass all three of the cars in front of me through turns 2 and 3, and I just stuck there until the end of the race.”With a sixth-place finish, Nico Christodoulou is provisionally out of the championship hunt, despite logging the fastest lap of the race. Christodoulou also led this morning’s qualifying session, but a penalty required him to start the race from pit road and the race was an uphill battle from there. The driver picked up several positions during the closing laps, but it wasn’t enough to keep the championship hopes alive for the young Canadian who entered the race fourth in the championship hunt.
Mac Clark, the fourth driver to round out the driver championship battle, finished seventh in Race 1 at COTA. The driver of the No. 26 for Gonella Racing entered the weekend second in points, just eight and a half points behind Leon. Mac Clark, the fourth driver to round out the driver championship battle, finished seventh in Race 1 at COTA. The driver of the No. 26 for Gonella Racing entered the weekend second in points, just eight and a half points behind Leon. (Source: F4)
F4 Race 1 Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Entrant | |
| 1 | 77 | Jason ALDER | Velocity Racing Development | |
| 2 | 19 | Noel LEON | DEForce Racing | |
| 3 | 31 | Christian WEIR | Gonella Racing | |
| 4 | 2 | Jake BONILLA | Jensen Global Advisors | |
| 5 | 29 | Erikson EVANS | Velocity Racing Development | |
| 6 | 22 | Nico CHRISTODOULOU | Velocity Racing Development | |
| 7 | 26 | Mac CLARK | Gonella Racing | |
| 8 | 33 | Chase GARDNER | Gardner Motorsports | |
| 9 | 6 | Bijoy GARG | Jay Howard Driver Development | |
| 10 | 5 | Matt CHRISTENSEN | Jay Howard Driver Development | |
| 11 | 71 | Rodrigo GUTIERREZ | DC Autosport | |
| 12 | 4 | Seth FOLEY | Jay Howard Driver Development | |
| 13 | 66 | Ryan SHEHAN | Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport | |
| 14 | 76 | Gabriel FONSECA | Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport | |
| 15 | 23 | Arturo FLORES | Gonella Racing | |
| 16 | 20 | Viktor ANDERSSON | Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport | |
| 17 | 32 | Trevor RUSSELL | TR Racing | |
| 18 | 39 | Bryson MORRIS | Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport | |
| 19 | 18 | Maxwell JAMIESON | DEForce Racing | |
| 20 | 7 | Alexander KOREIBA | Jay Howard Driver Development | |
| 21 | 1 | Oscar HAFFAR | Jensen Global Advisors | |
| 22 | 64 | Dylan HAJICEK | Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport | |
| 23 | 10 | Zoey EDENHOLM | Jay Howard Driver Development | |
| 24 | 98 | Louka ST-JEAN | ICAR Canada Racing | |
| 25 | 9 | Kerong LI | Jensen Global Advisors | |
| 26 | 3 | Chase HYLAND | Jay Howard Driver Development | |
| 27 | 12 | Maximillian PARKER | Jensen Global Advisors |
F4
Launched in 2014, FIA Formula 4 was created to offer young race car drivers around the world the opportunity to take the first step from karting into the world of open-wheel racing. Designed to be globally recognized yet an affordable step between karting and F3, the F4 car was designed to keep costs down while providing an ideal learning tool for young drivers who have never raced cars before. The series offers more value and benefits than any other form of entry-level open-wheel racing at a low cost.
Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas (COTA) is the premier destination for world-class motorsports and entertainment in the United States. Just outside downtown Austin, Circuit of The Americas has hosted the biggest names in racing, action sports and music. At its heart is a 3.41-mile racetrack that was designed to challenge the world's most exacting competitors while providing a thrilling spectacle for audiences.
The 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit takes advantage of the naturally undulating landscape, including an intimidating 133-foot hill at Turn 1. It has hosted the Formula 1 United States Grand Pix, MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, ESPN's X Games, the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge and more. Nestled within the track is Germania Insurance Amphitheater, the largest permanent outdoor amphitheater in Central Texas, and its 251-foot signature observation tower.
F4
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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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