Irazú inches closer to 2026 F4 U.S. title with Race 1 win at VIR

Gastón Irazú earned his eighth win in Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) competition on Saturday, taking the checkered flag in Race 1 at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR). Inching closer to the 2026 F4 U.S. title—and the scholarship to compete in Formula Regional Americas Championship next season—Irazú (No. 27 Elia Group/Baly/Canal 4/Ancap/Champagne Racing Ligier JS F422) opened up a 73-point lead, with just 75-points left unclaimed before the final checkered flag of the season.

The opening circuits were filled with side-by-side battles, demonstrating the pressure that continues to build as the season finale looms closer. Polesitter Irazú led the field to the waving green flag, but it was Cole Medeiros (No. 77 Firano Motorsports/MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422) who won a three-wide battle with Irazú and third-place starter Clemente Huerta Raab (No. 17 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) to bring the field back across the line and lead the first lap. Behind them, Zach Fourie (No. 15 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) had climbed to fourth from his fifth-place starting position, and a stellar second lap moved him into the race lead. As Fourie spent the next several laps building a lead, more two- and three-wide racing ensued back in the pack, until a full-course caution eventually slowed the pace for a car stranded on circuit.

Regrouping for the restart, the whole field was aligned nose to stern with just eight minutes left on the clock. On the restart lap, Medeiros looked to climb from fourth and found himself wheel to wheel with Caleb Campbell (No. 68 Steele Auto Group/Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) racing through Oak Tree. With Campbell forced off the circuit, Medeiros and Huerta Raab were both able to move up in the running order. Out front, Fourie and Irazú engaged a fierce, but clean, battle, searching for the upper edge that could give them the checkered flag. Swapping the lead back and forth four times in a single lap as they raced toward the white flag, Irazú finally made the pass stick in Turn 13. Fourie kept the pressure on the entire final lap as he searched for one last opportunity to take the race lead, but when the checkered flag waved, it was Irazú who crossed the line first, followed by Fourie and Medeiros.

Initially the third car to cross the finish line, Medeiros was relegated to seventh on the official results after the Stewards reviewed the contact between the MLT Motorsports driver and Campbell during the restart lap. Ruling that the Medeiros forced Campbell off the circuit and caused him to lose three positions, Medeiros was issued a drive-thru penalty, which was converted to a 30s time penalty. As a result, Huerta Raab was promoted to third on the official results.

Round 15 Official Results

“That was a really hard one,” said Irazú after climbing from the car. “I battled hard with Zach [Fourie], but we were finally able to pull ahead to win. I am really happy; we were able to get important points for the championship. I have to thank my team, my sponsors, my family, my girlfriend and all the people who are here to support me.”

Stream Round 15 from VIR

F4 U.S. is back on track tomorrow at 11:35 a.m. ET for Race 2 from the Racing America @ VIR weekend. The race will be live streamed at YouTube.com/@RacingAmericaTV, with timing and scoring available on the Race Monitor app. Additional news and updates from the weekend will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.