Gastón Irazú delivered a breakthrough weekend at Road America, claiming his first Formula 4 United States (F4 U.S.) Championship pole position before converting it into two dominant victories.
After scoring two podiums at the NOLA Motorsports Park season opener, the Champagne Racing rookie arrived in Wisconsin searching for his first F4 U.S. win. By the end of the weekend, he had firmly inserted himself into the championship fight, even though heavy rain, lightning and hail forced officials to cancel the third race of the event.
2026 F4 U.S. Practice: Huerta sets the early pace
To begin with, Clemente Huerta led the way in practice at Road America. The Speed Factory driver set a 2:15.205, giving himself a 0.364-second advantage over Irazú. Meanwhile, championship leader Caleb Campbell placed third for Kiwi Motorsport, with teammate Zach Fourie following in fourth.
Luca Day completed the top five for Momentum Motorsports, while Fernando Rivera, Ayden Kohut and debutant Ben Ramirez rounded out the order. As a result, Huerta entered qualifying with early momentum, although Irazú had already shown strong pace in second.
- Clemente Huerta — 2:15.205
- Gastón Irazú — 2:15.569 — +0.364
- Caleb Campbell — 2:15.756 — +0.551
- Zach Fourie — 2:16.125 — +0.920
- Luca Day — 2:16.736 — +1.531
- Fernando Rivera — 2:17.182 — +1.977
- Ayden Kohut — 2:18.708 — +3.503
- Ben Ramirez — 2:19.019 — +3.814
2026 F4 U.S. Qualifying: Irazú secures first pole
Moving into Qualifying, Irazú raised the benchmark. The Uruguayan produced a 2:15.248 to claim his first F4 U.S. pole position, edging Huerta by 0.396 seconds.
Huerta secured a front-row start, while Fourie qualified third as the quickest Kiwi Motorsport driver. Campbell, who had swept the opening weekend at NOLA, lined up fourth. Behind them, Day placed fifth, ahead of Rivera, Kohut and Ramirez.
However, Ramirez lost his fastest lap after causing a session suspension, leaving him eighth on the grid.
- Gastón Irazú — 2:15.248
- Clemente Huerta — 2:15.644 — +0.396
- Zach Fourie — 2:16.279 — +1.031
- Caleb Campbell — 2:16.548 — +1.300
- Luca Day — 2:17.422 — +2.174
- Fernando Rivera — 2:18.455 — +3.207
- Ayden Kohut — 2:19.442 — +4.194
- Ben Ramirez — 2:55.416 — +40.168
Note: #32 Ben Ramirez was stripped of his fastest lap for causing a suspension of session
2026 F4 U.S. Race 1: Irazú controls the race from pole
In Race 1, Irazú wasted no time turning pole into control. He launched cleanly from the front and led every lap of the 14-lap race, gradually building a margin while the field battled behind him.
Campbell started fourth, but he quickly moved forward. By lap three, he had climbed to third, and one lap later he took second. However, Irazú had already opened a useful advantage, leaving Campbell to consolidate second place.
Behind them, Huerta, Fourie and Rivera produced the race’s main fight as they battled for the final podium position. The contest featured several changes of position, but Fourie eventually pulled clear in the closing stages to secure third.
Irazú crossed the line 5.579 seconds ahead of Campbell, earning his first F4 U.S. victory in his fourth championship start. Fourie finished third, continuing his podium streak, while Day took fourth. Huerta finished fifth after receiving a drive-through penalty, converted into a 30-second time penalty, for causing a collision.
- Gastón Irazú
- Caleb Campbell — +5.579
- Zach Fourie — +10.027
- Luca Day — +26.827
- Clemente Huerta — +44.774
- Ayden Kohut — +48.583
- Ben Ramirez — +1:05.080
- Fernando Rivera — 1 lap
2026 F4 U.S. Race 2: Irazú wins again in wet conditions
Next, Race 2 brought very different conditions. Showers arrived before the start, and Race Director Scott Goodyear declared a wet-weather race, forcing the field onto rain tyres.
Once the race began, Irazú again started from pole, with Campbell alongside him. However, this time the victory did not come through a simple lights-to-flag drive. Campbell passed Irazú at Turn 1 on lap three, while Fourie also challenged the Champagne Racing driver soon after.
Nevertheless, Irazú responded immediately. He repassed Fourie, then attacked Campbell for the lead. With just over 10 minutes remaining, Campbell ran deep into Turn 1, and Irazú capitalised to reclaim first place.
From there, Irazú stretched his advantage and eventually won by 6.809 seconds. Fourie passed Campbell at Turn 5 on the final lap to take second, while Campbell narrowly held off Day by just 0.024 seconds in a drag race to the line.
The result gave Irazú his second win of the weekend and his second consecutive victory in F4 U.S. Fourie finished runner-up once again, while Campbell maintained his perfect podium record across the opening five races of the season.
- Gastón Irazú
- Zach Fourie — +6.809
- Caleb Campbell — +8.347
- Luca Day — +8.371
- Clemente Huerta — +22.464
- Ben Ramirez — +32.375
- Fernando Rivera — +53.629
- Ayden Kohut — +1:02.157
2026 F4 U.S. Race 3: Weather forces cancellation
Finally, officials cancelled the third F4 U.S. race of the weekend on Sunday afternoon after heavy rain, lightning and hail hit the Racing America at Road America event.
The cancellation also affected Formula Regional Americas Championship and Ligier Junior Formula Championship, with all three series losing their final races of the weekend. Therefore, Irazú left Road America unbeaten in race conditions, having converted pole into two victories from two starts.
2026 F4 U.S. Standings after Round 2 at Road America
Following Road America, Campbell remains the championship leader with 108 points. However, Irazú’s double victory has significantly changed the title picture. The Champagne Racing rookie now sits third on 80 points, just seven points behind second-placed Fourie.
Fourie also strengthened his position with two more podium finishes, moving to 87 points. Meanwhile, Huerta holds fifth, Day climbs to sixth, and Ramirez enters the standings after scoring points in both races on his debut weekend.
In the teams’ championship, Kiwi Motorsport continues to lead comfortably on 195 points. Champagne Racing moves second on 80 points after Irazú’s double win, while MLT Motorsports remains third despite not scoring at Road America.
Drivers’ Standings after Round 2
- Caleb Campbell — Kiwi Motorsport — 108 pts
- Zach Fourie (R) — Kiwi Motorsport — 87 pts
- Gastón Irazú (R) — Champagne Racing — 80 pts
- Cole Medeiros (R) — MLT Motorsports — 39 pts
- Clemente Huerta — Speed Factory — 36 pts
- Luca Day (R) — Momentum Motorsports — 32 pts
- Robert Soroka — Vmax Motorsport — 28 pts
- Fernando Rivera (R) — Crosslink Motorsports — 26 pts
- Ayden Kohut (R) — Kiwi Motorsport — 22 pts
- Ben Ramirez (R) — RASE Motorsports — 14 pts
Teams’ Standings after Round 2
- Kiwi Motorsport — 195 pts
- Champagne Racing — 80 pts
- MLT Motorsports — 39 pts
- Speed Factory — 36 pts
- Momentum Motorsports — 32 pts
- Vmax Motorsport — 28 pts
- Crosslink Motorsports — 26 pts
- RASE Motorsports — 14 pts
Conclusion
In conclusion, Irazú’s Road America performance transformed the early shape of the 2026 F4 U.S. Championship. After Campbell dominated the NOLA opener, Irazú answered with pole position, two wins and maximum points from both completed races.
However, Campbell still leaves Wisconsin with the championship lead, while Fourie’s continued podium consistency keeps Kiwi Motorsport in firm control of the teams’ standings. Therefore, although Irazú has emerged as a serious title threat, the battle remains finely balanced heading into the next round at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
