Despite his multiple titles from over a decade in motorsports, Iñigo Anton shows no signs of slowing down. And in 2024, he took another shot at single-seaters, this time in the F4 Australian Championship when the series visited the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) in Malaysia.
The 20-year-old Filipino was up against a field of more experienced drivers. But that clearly didn’t show in his results. Driving for Axle Sports by Black Arts Racing, he delivered a pair of Rookie wins at the ex-Formula 1 circuit and was only denied a 3rd class victory after another driver crashed into him in Race 3. What also makes the feat noteworthy was the fact that Iñigo has very little seat time in proper F4 machinery and was probably the least experienced single-seat driver on the grid.
It’s an open secret in motorsport that the top drivers test heavily – crucial in preparing for race weekends and could spell the difference between finishing mid-pack or on the podium. Typically, they spend days familiarizing the track, honing the car setup, and gradually building confidence before race day. This is over and above top scheduled pre-season tests and official test days.
But testing costs money on top of the already-expensive race seat, be it for a single round or a full season.
Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, Iñigo was not able to test in an actual Tatuus F4-T421 car used in the series ahead of his F4 Australian debut. While he has generous sponsorship from the the Philippines to cover his race entry, the additional cost of testing proved to be an insurmountable hurdle. So, he drove the next closest thing available and joined a 1-day test in a Formula Renault at the same circuit under the guidance of ex-Formula 1 driver Alex Yoong and his son Alister.
With only a single race experience in Formula 4 SEA last year plus a recent 1-day test, Iñigo approached the race weekend with a mix of determination and resilience.
He immediately stood out in the first Qualifying session and out-paced the top rookie contenders and a couple of more experienced drivers to end up in P6. This included Nicolas Stati who’s currently 2nd in the drivers’ standings and leads the F4 US Championship.
“I practically had to start from scratch to try to get up to speed again in these cars. I last drove in Formula 4 10 months ago. I was quite a bit behind during our first practices but was able to make up some ground before qualifying heat,” Iñigo said after Qualifying.
Although he fell back to P8 at the start of Race 1, Iñigo was able to regain lost ground and finished where he started in 6th. More importantly, he earned a spot on the podium for his Rookie win. A much better getaway in Race 2 allowed the Filipino to move up a spot and battled for P4 against championship contender Nicolas Stati. Unable to find a way past, Iñigo settled for 5th overall while taking another 1st in the Rookie Cup. But his win streak sadly came to an abrupt end in Race 3 when another driver collided with Iñigo on the very first lap and forced him into retirement.
Sans the DNF, 2 wins out of 3 races make for an impressive debut for Iñigo in the F4 Australian Championship.
Iñigo Anton is sponsored by Motul Philippines Infiniteserv, Yokohama Philippines, Mark Young Racing, Alpinestars, JSD Autosport, MP Turbo, Obengers Racing, BLU Coffee, and Time Master Watches.
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