May 4, 2026: The 2026 AU4 Australian Championship ignited at Winton Motor Raceway last weekend, delivering a masterclass in high-stakes open-wheel racing. Amidst a mix of international talent, unpredictable weather, and fierce wheel-to-wheel battles, Jensen Marold emerged as the championship leader following two dominant victories, narrowly edging out New Zealand’s Marco Manson to lead the Championship standings.
The event marked the official return of the category as a headline for the Motorsport Australia Trophy Tour, featuring a diverse grid of 17 cars. Jensen Marold, the reigning Gen1 Champion, signaled his intentions early by securing pole position for both qualifying sessions and claiming the bonus points for the fastest lap in the first two races.
Marold was pushed to the limit by Polish sensation Borys Lyzen, who arrived with momentum from the Spanish Formula 4 Winter Series. Lyzen’s weekend hit an early snag, however, after a penalty for breaching parc ferme conditions between sessions relegated him to the rear of the grid for Race 1. This promoted Manson, the reigning NZ Formula Ford Champion, to second on the Race 1 grid with Angus Bails third. In Qualifying 2, Marold again claimed pole for Race 3, with Lyzen second and Manson third.
In the Gen1 category, the battle for bragging rights was split between Koby Wilson, who took the top spot in the first session, and Jackson Culver in the second.
Conditions were optimal for Saturday’s opening race. Marold capitalised on his pole position, maintaining a steady lead over Manson and Baills. All eyes were on Lyzen, who carved through the pack from the back of the grid to reach fourth before a safety car was deployed on Lap 10 for Luca Cosolo, who had spun into the gravel. Upon the restart Lyzen snatched third place, while further down the order, contact at Turn 10 between William Beck and Xavier Babbage-Hocke ended the race for the latter.
Marold took the checkered flag ahead of Manson and Lyzen. In the Gen1 category, Koby Wilson held off Jackson Culver for the win, though post-race penalties for Culver saw Lewis Gotch promoted to second and Rugby Mangan to third.
Sunday morning brought patchy rain, leading to a high-stakes tyre lottery. While most of the field opted for wet tires, Marold and Cosolo decided to take a gamble on slicks. The decision initially looked disastrous for Marold, who stalled on the grid and fell to the rear. However, as a dry line emerged, the slick-tyre runners began lapping significantly faster.
Marold’s recovery was relentless, hunting down the entire pack to reclaim the lead by Lap 14 and take the win ahead of Cosolo and Beck. In Gen1, Culver took the lead in a tight battle with Wilson and Gotch.
The final race of the weekend was defined by attrition. Early contact between Mangan and Anton Du triggered a safety car, ending both of their races. Racing resumed with Marold leading a tight pack of Manson, Flack and Lyzen, who were vying for position when Flack ran wide at turn 2 and hit the tyre wall, red flagging the race.
Once resumed, the race became a short sprint to the finish. Chasing the win, Lyzen attempted a bold move on Marold at the back of the circuit, resulting in contact that took Marold out of contention for the podium and a DNF for Lyzen. Manson capitalized on the incident to take the victory, followed by Beck and Baills. In the Gen1 field, Culver took the win followed by Wilson and Gotch.
At the conclusion of the season opener, Jensen Marold leads the Gen2 championship standings with 60 points, holding the top spot over Marco Manson (56 points) and the current North Island Formula Ford Champion, William Beck (35 points).
In the Gen1 category, Jackson Culver sits in first place with 65 points after his strong Sunday performance, followed by Koby Wilson in second (63 points) and Lewis Gotch in third (48 points).
The AU4 Championship now heads to Sydney Motorsport Park for Round 2 on May 29 – 31.
About the AU4 Championship
The AU4 Australian Championship is the nation’s premier Formula 4 competition and the official Australian home of the FIA’s global pathway to Formula 1. Sanctioned by Motorsport Australia and promoted by AGI Sport, the series provides aspiring professional drivers with the critical mileage and technical skills necessary to compete on the world stage.
2026 AU4 Championship Calendar
Round 1: Winton Raceway, May 1-3 2026
Round 2: Sydney Motorsport Park, May 30-31 2026.
Round 3: The Bend Motorsport Park, West layout, July 17 – 19 2026.
Round 4: The Bend Motorsport Park, International layout, August 21 – 23 2026.
Round 5: Sydney Motorsport Park, GP Circuit, September 11-13 2026.
Media Contact: Samantha Stevens
Event Category Manager/Media Liaison, AU4 Championship
Email: media@au4championship.com
