Junior Maximiliano Restrepo debuted in Spanish Formula 4 Championship in the first week of May during round 1 at Spa Francochamps in Belgium.

Restrepo had a challenging time during all his three races of the weekend as rain during qualifying forced him to start 29th and 30th in the first 2 races.

“Qualifying was really tough for me as it rained during both sessions. I pushed too far on the limit and made a few mistakes that cost me my best lap time so I had to stick with a bad time that affected my results over the weekend,” Restrepo said. 

The races challenged Restrepo as multiple crashes resulted in most of the race time being behind the safety car limiting his chances to overtake opponents.

“The races were full of accidents which reduced my chances to overtake other drivers as the race time was very short, otherwise I believe I had to pace to get a better result,” Restrepo said.

After finishing 27th in the two opening races Restrepo had a better start to the final race of the weekend as his improved race pace allowed him to perform various overtakes and finish 23rd.

 “Overall it was a good weekend, I didn’t get the results I hoped for but I finished all 3 races and learned a lot from the experience, my focus is now set on the following races where I hope to do better,” Restrepo said.

The next race will take place on May 26th at the Motorland track in Aragón, Spain. Restrepo is now focused on training on the racing simulator and working physically with his trainer toward better results.

“During the next few weeks I will train physically with my trainer to be at my best and will work on the simulator to learn the track and prepare for round 2 of the championship,” Restrepo said.

The 11th grader has surrounded himself with a team of trainers and mentors including retired Colombian F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya and physical trainers working with multiple F1 drivers. 

“I have recently started working with a new physical trainer that has helped drivers such as Sergio Pérez and Lance Stroll. Montoya has also been a great help in the simulator and has been key to my performance this weekend,” Restrepo said.

With 6 weekends and 18 races to go Restrepo and his team still have a chance to get better results and improve his pace by the time the championship ends in November.

“Most of the drivers in the Formula 4 grid have been racing since they were little and after just a year of racing, I am very close to them. I believe I can finish top 5 in the rookies’ championship,” Restrepo said.