As the pressure mounted in the helmets of his opponents, Michael Benyahia managed the remarkably difficult Barcelona meeting which concluded the 2016 French F4 Championship season. With great maturity the young Moroccan hopeful outperformed his rivals with a victory that enabled him to secure his place on the podium in a competition that was open right up to the last chequered flag.
The Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, known throughout the world for hosting the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix for 25 years, was the setting on 4th, 5th and 6th November for the last of the 23 races of the French F4 Championship.
Although the titles of Champion and Vice-Champion were already settled, the battle promised to be intense for 3rd place in the final standings. The position Michael Benyahia had held since the race at Le Mans was coveted by five drivers. It was a very complicated challenge facing the young Moroccan hopeful, where he needed to make as much use of his speed as his race intelligence ahead of the pack of pursuers in particularly complex track conditions.
While there was much to lose in the 25-minute Qualifying on a drying track, the last laps proved decisive. The grip was improving with each lap, transforming the qualification into a lottery, Michael was the first to pass under the chequered flag and had to settle for 7th place.On a wet track, Michael did not have the best start of his career in Race 1. In 11th on the first lap, he managed to overtake competitors despite only one dry line and came back to 8th position. After this result which was far from his ambitions, he threw himself into the battle in Race 2 from 3rd place on the grid. After an aggressive start he seized 2nd position at the first corner before rising to the lead from the second lap of the race. Fighting with the defending champion Michael swapped the leadership to finally clinch victory with a comfortable lead.
The bulk of the work had been done, but he still had to intelligently manage the last race. Observing the position of his rivals, Michael adapted its strategy like an old fox. 2nd from the third lap after a great start, he could then control the situation and decide maturely to finish in 5th place to ensure the championship podium without taking unnecessary risks in battle.
"It was a difficult weekend, but very rewarding!" said Michael. "With my victory in the second race, I have made the Moroccan anthem play for the first time in Barcelona. I was catching the leader in the last race but I decided not to tempt fate and ensured my final podium in the Championship. Back in my country with the satisfaction of duty done, I received a very warm welcome from the media andmotorsports fans who are numerous in Morocco. It’s fantastic!"
