Fausto Arnaudo produced a remarkable Brazilian F4 debut at Autódromo Velocittà, claiming pole position and winning two of the three races during Round 2 of the 2026 season.
The Argentine controlled Race 1 and Race 3 from the front, leading every lap in both contests. Meanwhile, Pedro Lins delivered the weekend’s standout recovery drive by climbing from 13th on the grid to win Race 2.
Bernardo Gentil endured a more challenging weekend than he experienced during the Interlagos season opener. Nevertheless, three fourth-place finishes allowed the TMG Racing driver to retain the championship lead, although Pietro Mesquita reduced his advantage to eight points.
Qualifying: Arnaudo claims dominant debut pole
Arnaudo immediately established himself as the driver to beat by setting a 1:42.620 in Qualifying.
The Cavaleiro Sports driver beat Mesquita to pole by 0.943 seconds, while Celo Hahn finished only 0.006s behind Mesquita in third. Nacho Díaz placed fourth, ahead of Alexandre Louza and championship leader Gentil.
However, the Race 1 grid differed from the outright Qualifying order. Gentil joined Arnaudo on the front row, while Díaz and Enricco Abreu started from row two. Hahn also carried a 10-place grid penalty from Interlagos, while Gianni Giovanelli lost six positions through accumulated penalties.
Qualifying Classification
- #37 Fausto Arnaudo — 1:42.620
- #59 Pietro Mesquita — 1:43.563
- #1 Celo Hahn — 1:43.569
- #72 Nacho Díaz — 1:43.844
- #15 Alexandre Louza — 1:43.872
- #88 Bernardo Gentil — 1:44.011
- #29 Enricco Abreu — 1:44.173
- #48 Paulo Willemann Filho — 1:44.347
- #3 Naim Saleh — 1:44.796
- #6 Guilherme Moleiro — 1:44.886
- #45 João Paulo Sanzovo — 1:44.889
- #26 Pedro Lins — 1:46.000
- #21 Elias Barbosa — 1:47.521
- #16 Franco Paolini — 1:47.921
- #4 Gianni Giovanelli — 1:48.455
Race 1: Arnaudo controls interrupted opener
Arnaudo converted his front-row start into the lead with a clean getaway. However, Gentil struggled from second and allowed Díaz and Abreu to move ahead before Turn 1.
Gentil then made contact with Mesquita and fell to 11th, leaving the championship leader with a significant recovery drive. At the front, Arnaudo immediately started to build an advantage over Díaz.
The first Safety Car appeared on lap two after Louza and Saleh touched. The contact sent Louza spinning into the barriers and ended his race.
Arnaudo retained the lead at the restart, but officials neutralised the contest again three minutes later. Hahn and Lins collided and both cars ended up in the tyre barriers, removing another two drivers from contention.
Once the race resumed, Arnaudo maintained control and gradually extended his lead. Díaz remained second, while Abreu held third as Gentil recovered towards the podium positions.
Gentil reached fourth but fell 0.321s short of passing Abreu. Arnaudo completed all 20 laps at the front and claimed victory by 3.323s over Díaz, while Abreu secured the final podium position.
Race 1 Classification
- Fausto Arnaudo
- Nacho Díaz
- Enricco Abreu
- Bernardo Gentil
- Pietro Mesquita
- Paulo Willemann Filho
- Guilherme Moleiro
- João Paulo Sanzovo
- Gianni Giovanelli
- Franco Paolini
- Elias Barbosa
- Naim Saleh
DNF: Pedro Lins, Alexandre Louza
DSQ: Celo Hahn
Arnaudo also recorded the fastest lap with a 1:27.947.
Race 2: Lins charges from 13th to victory
Dense fog delayed Race 2 by approximately 40 minutes before João Paulo Sanzovo and Guilherme Moleiro led the reversed-grid field away from the front row.
Arnaudo started eighth but damaged his front wing during the opening exchanges. Further back, Lins immediately launched an extraordinary recovery and gained seven positions on the opening lap.
Lins continued to advance during the following green-flag laps before Elias Barbosa stopped on track on lap five and triggered the first Safety Car.
During the neutralisation, Hahn suffered a mechanical problem. Saleh and Franco Paolini took evasive action but made contact, forcing Paolini to retire from the race.
Lins continued his recovery after the restart and climbed into second behind Sanzovo. With five laps remaining, he attacked at Curva do Museu and dived down the inside to take the lead.
Shortly afterwards, contact with Abreu sent Willemann into the barriers and caused another Safety Car. Officials later added 20 seconds to Abreu’s race time for the incident.
The race resumed for a two-lap shootout. However, Lins retained the lead and completed his charge from 13th to victory. Moleiro finished 1.491s behind, while Sanzovo completed the podium after leading much of the race.
Race 2 Classification
- Pedro Lins
- Guilherme Moleiro
- João Paulo Sanzovo
- Bernardo Gentil
- Pietro Mesquita
- Fausto Arnaudo
- Nacho Díaz
- Naim Saleh
- Alexandre Louza
- Gianni Giovanelli
- Enricco Abreu
DNF: Paulo Willemann Filho, Celo Hahn, Franco Paolini, Elias Barbosa
Sanzovo set the fastest lap with a 1:27.857.
Race 3: Arnaudo completes commanding double
Arnaudo returned to the front of the grid for Race 3 and retained the lead at the start. Mesquita moved ahead of Abreu at the opening corner to take second, while Arnaudo immediately began establishing a gap.
Hahn’s difficult weekend continued when he jumped the start and received a drive-through penalty.
Unlike the opening two races, Race 3 ran without a Safety Car interruption. Therefore, Arnaudo could demonstrate his pace without losing his advantage through a neutralisation.
Díaz provided the race’s closest major incident when he spun at high speed while running fourth. He continued, but the mistake dropped him to eighth at the finish.
Gentil crossed the line in fourth after another consistent race, although officials added five seconds to his time following an incident with Hahn.
At the front, Arnaudo encountered no comparable difficulties. He led all 22 laps and claimed his second victory of the weekend by 5.774s over Mesquita. Abreu finished third and secured his second podium of the round.
Race 3 Classification
- Fausto Arnaudo
- Pietro Mesquita
- Enricco Abreu
- Bernardo Gentil
- Naim Saleh
- Pedro Lins
- Paulo Willemann Filho
- Nacho Díaz
- Celo Hahn
- Gianni Giovanelli
- Guilherme Moleiro
- Franco Paolini
- João Paulo Sanzovo
- Elias Barbosa
DNF: Alexandre Louza
Arnaudo also claimed the fastest lap with a 1:27.785.
2026 Brazilian F4 Championship standings after Round 2 at Velocittà
Gentil left Velocittà with 81 points after finishing fourth in all three races. Although he failed to reach the podium, his consistency allowed him to retain the Drivers’ Championship lead.
Mesquita reduced the deficit from 10 points after Interlagos to eight. His second-place finish in Race 3 represented his strongest result of the weekend and moved him to 73 points.
Despite missing Round 1, Arnaudo immediately moved into third with 58 points. He shares that total with Díaz but sits ahead through countback after claiming two victories.
Lins follows five points further back after his Race 2 recovery drive, while Abreu’s two podium finishes moved him to sixth.
The official provisional table lists both Willemann and Sanzovo in seventh despite their different points totals. The classification below retains the positions displayed in the official document.
Drivers’ Standings
- Bernardo Gentil — 81 points
- Pietro Mesquita — 73 points
- Fausto Arnaudo — 58 points
- Nacho Díaz — 58 points
- Pedro Lins — 53 points
- Enricco Abreu — 46 points
- Paulo Willemann Filho — 38 points
- João Paulo Sanzovo — 29 points
- Celo Hahn — 23 points
- Guilherme Moleiro — 18 points
- Alan Soloviov — 15 points
- Alexandre Louza — 13 points
- Naim Saleh — 11 points
- Elias Barbosa — 6 points
- Gianni Giovanelli — 4 points
- Rodrigo Rocha — 2 points
- Franco Paolini — 1 point
- Fabrício Fogaça — 1 point
TMG Racing retains Teams’ Championship lead
TMG Racing retained first place after Gentil and Mesquita consistently finished inside the leading five.
However, Cavaleiro Sports scored heavily through Arnaudo’s two victories and Abreu’s two podium finishes. The team moved to 134 points and now holds a three-point advantage over Starrett Bassani F4.
TMG Racing continues to lead with 172 points, although its advantage over Cavaleiro Sports now stands at 38.
Teams’ Standings
- TMG Racing — 172 points
- Cavaleiro Sports — 134 points
- Starrett Bassani F4 — 131 points
Gentil strengthens Rookie Championship lead
Gentil also retained the Rookie Championship lead and moved to 119 points.
Díaz remains second with 95 points, while Willemann occupies third on 66. Sanzovo follows with 54 points after securing his first podium of the season in Race 2.
Moleiro’s second-place finish moved him into fifth despite missing the Interlagos opener. Meanwhile, Saleh climbed level with Barbosa on 26 points following his fifth-place result in Race 3.
Rookies’ Standings
- Bernardo Gentil — 119 points
- Nacho Díaz — 95 points
- Paulo Willemann Filho — 66 points
- João Paulo Sanzovo — 54 points
- Guilherme Moleiro — 35 points
- Gianni Giovanelli — 28 points
- Naim Saleh — 26 points
- Elias Barbosa — 26 points
- Alexandre Louza — 24 points
- Alan Soloviov — 20 points
- Franco Paolini — 12 points
- Fabrício Fogaça — 6 points
- Rodrigo Rocha — 6 points
Penalty summary
Race 1 officials gave Giovanelli a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane. They initially added five seconds to Mesquita’s time following his contact with Gentil but later withdrew the penalty.
Officials excluded Hahn from Race 1 for his incident with Lins. They also added five seconds to his time for a separate incident with Louza.
During Race 2, officials added 20 seconds to Abreu’s time for his incident with Willemann, dropping him to 11th.
Hahn served a drive-through penalty for jumping the Race 3 start. Officials also added five seconds to Gentil’s time for an incident involving Hahn.
Outlook for the 2026 Brazilian F4 season after Round 2
Arnaudo could hardly have produced a stronger introduction to Brazilian F4. Pole position, two victories and two fastest laps immediately placed the Argentine among the championship’s leading contenders.
Meanwhile, Lins’ charge from 13th delivered one of the season’s most impressive drives and moved him to within five points of Arnaudo and Díaz.
Gentil still controls the championship, but Velocittà significantly tightened the fight. Mesquita now sits only eight points behind, while Arnaudo has established himself as an immediate threat despite missing the opening round.
2026 Brazilian F4: Weekend Summary: Round 2: Velocittà
Fausto Arnaudo dominated his Brazilian F4 debut by claiming pole position and winning Race 1 and Race 3. Pedro Lins completed a remarkable recovery from 13th to win Race 2, while Bernardo Gentil used three fourth-place finishes to retain the championship lead.
Mesquita closed to within eight points of Gentil, while Arnaudo surged into third despite missing Round 1. With four different winners across the opening six races, the 2026 title contest remains wide open.
