Fausto Arnaudo continued his remarkable start to the 2026 Brazilian F4 season during Round 3 at Interlagos, taking two victories and a second-place finish to move into the Drivers’ Championship lead.
The Cavaleiro Sports driver had already won twice on his series debut at Velocittà and immediately returned to the front during Brazilian F4’s second visit to Interlagos. Arnaudo secured pole before winning Races 1 and 3 in challenging wet conditions, while his second place in the reverse-grid contest completed a 65-point weekend.
Celo Hahn denied Arnaudo a clean sweep by controlling Race 2 from reverse-grid pole for his second victory of the campaign. Meanwhile, former championship leader Bernardo Gentil endured a mixed weekend but retained second in the standings, 22 points behind Arnaudo.
Qualifying: Arnaudo sets the pace with Interlagos pole
Arnaudo established himself as the driver to beat during Friday’s Qualifying session, setting a 1:36.315 to secure pole position.
The Argentine beat Naim Saleh by 0.235s, while Paulo Willemann finished another 0.026s behind in third. Gentil took fourth for TMG Racing, with teammate Pietro Mesquita completing the top five.
Pedro Lins followed in sixth ahead of Hahn, while Alexandre Louza, Luiz Queiroz and João Paulo Sanzovo completed the top 10. The session gave Arnaudo the ideal starting position for the opening race as he attempted to continue the form that had brought him two victories at Velocittà.
Qualifying Classification
- #37 Fausto Arnaudo — 1:36.315
- #3 Naim Saleh — +0.235
- #48 Paulo Willemann — +0.261
- #88 Bernardo Gentil — +0.505
- #59 Pietro Mesquita — +0.680
- #26 Pedro Lins — +0.744
- #1 Celo Hahn — +0.904
- #15 Alexandre Louza — +1.090
- #105 Luiz Queiroz — +1.234
- #45 João Paulo Sanzovo — +1.302
- #29 Enricco Abreu — +1.337
- #12 Alan Soloviov — +1.390
- #72 Nacho Díaz — +1.596
- #4 Gianni Giovanelli — +2.153
- #16 Franco Paolini — +2.227
- #21 Elias Barbosa — +12.658
Race 1: Arnaudo controls wet opener
Rain transformed the conditions before the opening race and forced the field to begin behind the Safety Car. Racing finally began after three laps, with Arnaudo retaining the lead and immediately starting to create a gap.
Behind him, Gentil attacked Willemann into Turn 1 and moved into second. Hahn then spun from seventh at the following corner but continued, while Mesquita soon found a way past Willemann at Turn 4 to move into the final podium position.
Arnaudo continued to control the race as the track remained difficult. Further back, Elias Barbosa became involved in a tight fight for seventh but eventually slipped down the order, while several drivers struggled for grip on the wet Interlagos surface.
The race changed again when Franco Paolini crashed at Ferradura, forcing another Safety Car period. That left the field with a one-lap sprint once racing resumed, but Arnaudo handled the restart and remained clear to secure his third win from four Brazilian F4 starts.
Gentil finished 0.995s behind in second, while Willemann recovered to take the final podium position ahead of Mesquita. Sanzovo completed the top five, with Lins, Enricco Abreu and Hahn following.
Race 1 Classification
- Fausto Arnaudo — 14 laps — 32:09.226
- Bernardo Gentil — +0.995
- Paulo Willemann — +2.056
- Pietro Mesquita — +2.529
- João Paulo Sanzovo — +3.672
- Pedro Lins — +4.273
- Enricco Abreu — +4.948
- Celo Hahn — +5.568
- Nacho Díaz — +7.105
- Alexandre Louza — +7.707
- Naim Saleh — +8.542
- Elias Barbosa — +14.237
- Alan Soloviov — +1 lap
- Luiz Queiroz — +1 lap
DNF: Franco Paolini, Gianni Giovanelli
Race 2: Hahn holds off Arnaudo in heavier rain
Conditions deteriorated further for the reverse-grid second race, with heavier rain once again forcing officials to begin behind the Safety Car.
Hahn inherited pole through the reversed grid and maintained the lead when the Safety Car entered the pits at the end of lap two. Gentil’s difficult race began almost immediately when he spun at Turn 4, removing the championship leader from the fight at the front.
Lins moved ahead of Abreu for second on the following lap, but Arnaudo quickly became the main threat. Starting eighth, the Race 1 winner carved his way through the field and had already passed Lins for second by the halfway point.
Mesquita also made progress and moved into third as Arnaudo began reducing Hahn’s advantage. The prospect of a late battle for victory disappeared with five minutes remaining, however, when Louza crashed at Ferradura and triggered another Safety Car.
Officials could not restart the race before the time expired, allowing Hahn to take his second victory of the season by 0.394s over Arnaudo. Mesquita completed the podium, while Lins finished fourth ahead of Díaz and Saleh.
Race 2 Classification
- Celo Hahn — 9 laps — 20:50.544
- Fausto Arnaudo — +0.394
- Pietro Mesquita — +0.801
- Pedro Lins — +1.307
- Nacho Díaz — +4.951
- Naim Saleh — +5.380
- Alan Soloviov — +6.134
- Luiz Queiroz — +6.451
- Gianni Giovanelli — +6.698
- Enricco Abreu — +7.533
- Franco Paolini — +7.934
- Elias Barbosa — +8.941
- João Paulo Sanzovo — +15.502
- Paulo Willemann — +22.020
- Bernardo Gentil — +1 lap
- Alexandre Louza — +3 laps
Willemann later received a 20-second penalty following contact with Abreu during the race.
Race 3: Willemann spins from lead as Arnaudo completes double
The final race again began in damp conditions and behind the Safety Car, with Arnaudo sharing the front of the grid with Saleh and Willemann starting third.
When racing began on lap three, Willemann immediately attacked. He passed both Saleh and Arnaudo during the first half of the lap and quickly began creating an advantage at the front.
His strong run appeared to put him in position for a maiden victory, but two separate incidents on the back straight left three cars stranded and forced officials to deploy the Safety Car. The neutralisation erased Willemann’s lead and set up another short sprint to the finish.
Racing resumed with two laps remaining as the rain intensified. Willemann then lost control at Turn 4 and spun from the lead, allowing Arnaudo back ahead. The Cavaleiro Sports driver avoided the same mistake and crossed the line first to secure his second victory of the weekend.
Saleh initially finished second ahead of Hahn, but officials disqualified him after the race. Hahn therefore inherited second, while Willemann recovered impressively from seventh following his spin and gained three positions on the final lap to take third.
Gentil had crossed the line fourth but received a 20-second penalty for an incident involving Díaz, dropping him to 10th. Abreu consequently moved to fourth, with Barbosa completing the top five.
Race 3 Classification
- Fausto Arnaudo — 15 laps — 32:19.058
- Celo Hahn — +3.064
- Paulo Willemann — +4.740
- Enricco Abreu — +5.990
- Elias Barbosa — +6.842
- Franco Paolini — +8.772
- Luiz Queiroz — +9.788
- Gianni Giovanelli — +10.683
- Nacho Díaz — +19.304
- Bernardo Gentil — +24.615
- Pietro Mesquita — +1 lap
NC: Pedro Lins, Alan Soloviov, João Paulo Sanzovo
DSQ: Naim Saleh, Alexandre Louza
2026 Brazilian F4 Championship standings after Round 3 at Interlagos
Arnaudo’s second consecutive two-win weekend completely changed the championship picture. He had entered Brazilian F4 only at Round 2, but four victories from his first six races moved him from third after Velocittà into the outright lead.
His 65-point haul at Interlagos increased his season total to 123. Gentil moved to 101 and dropped to second, while Mesquita remained firmly involved on 95 after another consistent weekend.
Lins and Willemann sit level on 69, with Lins holding fourth in the standings. Díaz follows only one point behind, while Abreu sits seventh on 64. Hahn’s Race 2 victory and second place in the finale lifted him to eighth with 60.
Drivers’ Standings
- Fausto Arnaudo — 123 points
- Bernardo Gentil — 101
- Pietro Mesquita — 95
- Pedro Lins — 69
- Paulo Willemann — 69
- Nacho Díaz — 68
- Enricco Abreu — 64
- Celo Hahn — 60
- João Paulo Sanzovo — 39
- Guilherme Moleiro — 18
TMG Racing retains Teams’ Championship advantage
Although Arnaudo moved to the head of the Drivers’ standings, TMG Racing continued to lead the Teams’ Championship after scoring through Gentil, Mesquita, Hahn and its other entries across the weekend.
TMG left Interlagos with 249 points, 29 ahead of Cavaleiro Sports. Arnaudo’s two wins and second place significantly reduced the gap for Cavaleiro, which moved to 220, while Bassani Racing followed in third with 193.
Teams’ Standings
- TMG Racing — 249 points
- Cavaleiro Sports — 220
- Bassani Racing — 193
Gentil keeps control of Rookie Championship
Gentil’s difficult final two races did not prevent him from retaining a healthy advantage in the Rookie standings. His Race 1 runner-up finish contributed to a total of 152 points, leaving him 22 clear of Díaz.
Willemann sits third with 110 following his podium finishes in Races 1 and 3. Sanzovo remains fourth on 70, ahead of Barbosa, Saleh and Giovanelli.
Rookies’ Standings
- Bernardo Gentil — 152 points
- Nacho Díaz — 130
- Paulo Willemann — 110
- João Paulo Sanzovo — 70
- Elias Barbosa — 52
- Naim Saleh — 48
- Gianni Giovanelli — 44
- Guilherme Moleiro — 35
- Alan Soloviov — 34
- Alexandre Louza — 34
Penalty summary
Interlagos produced several post-race changes, with the most significant coming after the final contest. Saleh lost his second-place finish through disqualification, promoting Hahn and Willemann onto the podium. Gentil also received a 20-second penalty for his incident with Díaz and dropped from fourth to 10th.
Race 2 also brought a 20-second penalty for Willemann following contact with Abreu. The decisions contributed to several changes further down the final classifications and had an effect on both the overall and Rookie points battles.
Outlook for the 2026 Brazilian F4 season after Round 3
Arnaudo has transformed the championship since joining at Velocittà. Four victories and two other points-scoring finishes from six starts have carried him from having no points after Round 1 to a 22-point championship advantage after Round 3.
Gentil remains his closest challenger despite a difficult pair of Sunday races at Interlagos, while Mesquita sits only six points further back. With Lins, Willemann, Díaz, Abreu and Hahn separated by only nine points from fourth to eighth, the championship remains closely packed behind the leading trio.
The third round also reinforced Arnaudo’s consistency in difficult conditions. He won in the wet on Saturday, recovered from eighth to second in heavier rain in Race 2 and then capitalised when Willemann made a mistake in the damp finale.
2026 Brazilian F4: Weekend Summary: Round 3: Interlagos
Arnaudo again emerged as the decisive figure during Round 3, taking pole, two wins and second place to seize the championship lead with 123 points. Hahn claimed the remaining victory from reverse-grid pole, while Willemann, Gentil and Mesquita all featured on the podium during another weather-affected weekend.
After three rounds, Arnaudo leads Gentil by 22 points and Mesquita by 28, while TMG Racing retains the Teams’ Championship advantage over Cavaleiro Sports. Gentil continues to lead the Rookie standings, setting up another three-way overall championship fight as Brazilian F4 moves into the second half of the campaign.
