ZOE FLORESCU POTOLEA Claims Two Female Trophy Wins in Outstanding F4 Debut

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February 12, 2026

GRRL! SUMMARY:

ZOE FLORESCU POTOLEA delivered an absolutely stellar Formula 4 debut at Portimão, claiming two Female Trophy victories despite brutal rain conditions that sent multiple drivers spinning. The Romanian rookie, backed by the More Than Equal programme and former Girls on Track winner, consistently ran inside the top 20 overall and showed remarkable pace adaptation, setting lap times as quick as 2:08.7 while battling wheel-to-wheel with more experienced competitors.
ELLA STEVENS made her highly anticipated single-seater debut ahead of her F1 Academy campaign, immediately showing the speed that made McLaren take notice. The British driver set early benchmarks in qualifying and showed excellent racecraft in treacherous conditions, though contact while battling for position in Race 2 cost her a potential strong result through no fault of her own.
CHIARA BÄTTIG continued building momentum from her European Formula 4 podium debut at Estoril, showing brilliant racecraft in the opening race by gaining multiple positions to reach P19 before chaos struck. MATHILDA PAATZ engaged in a thrilling late-race duel with FLORESCU POTOLEA that went down to the checkered flag, while GINEVRA PANZERI completed a solid weekend despite challenging conditions that caught out numerous drivers throughout the field.