Luviwe Sambudla of Goa Aces JA Racing seized the F4 Indian Championship points lead at the Madras International Circuit in Chennai on 22-23 October 2026, claiming two victories and a third-place finish across three races in Round 3 of the Indian Racing Festival 2026. The South African driver converted a five-point deficit into a commanding 21-point championship advantage, moving to 138 points ahead of Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru's Aris Kyriakou on 117. Adding to the weekend's drama, 15-year-old Aaron Mehta of Kolkata Royal Tigers became the youngest race winner in the championship's history.

Race 1: Sambudla storms from sixth to victory

The opening race saw Kyriakou take an early lead under challenging wet conditions, with Mehta initially keeping pace and Sambudla gaining two places on the very first lap. Sambudla steadily worked past Mehta for second before capitalising on Kyriakou losing rear grip on lap nine to seize the lead. With rain intensifying, Sambudla pulled clear to win by 9.606 seconds, setting the fastest lap at 1:48.647.

Speed Demons Delhi's Ntiyiso Mabunda, who had started tenth, produced a stunning recovery drive to finish second, with Goa Aces JA Racing's Aryan Narola third. Mehta crossed fourth and Kyriakou settled for fifth. Speed Demons Delhi's Krishay Gutte finished sixth as the highest-placed Indian driver. The result handed Sambudla a 10-point championship lead.

Race 2: Sambudla doubles up under reverse grid

Starting again from sixth under the reverse-grid format, Sambudla worked methodically through the field to secure his second consecutive win, completing 13 laps in 33:22.590. Ntiyiso Mabunda applied consistent pressure, finishing just 1.211 seconds behind, with Sambudla recording the fastest lap at 1:50.071.

Kyriakou recovered to third for Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru after his difficult first race. Narola maintained fourth for Goa Aces JA Racing, followed by Gutte and Mehta in sixth. Notably, the top six were separated by just 5.414 seconds, underscoring the field's growing competitiveness. Sambudla's second win extended his advantage over Kyriakou to 14 points.

Race 3: Mehta makes history at 15

Aaron Mehta converted pole position into a landmark maiden victory in the final race, becoming the youngest race winner in F4 Indian Championship history at just 15 years of age. The Kolkata Royal Tigers teenager held his nerve through a race interrupted by a red flag and a safety car intervention, ultimately resisting a fierce late charge from Ntiyiso Mabunda to win by just 0.546 seconds.

Early in the race, Kyriakou ran wide into the grass and became stranded in a deep puddle, while Swarnav Das of Kolkata Royal Tigers also slid off the circuit. The incidents triggered the red flag, with Kyriakou and Das forced to restart from the back of the field. After the restart, Mehta built a lead of approximately 1.5 seconds over Sambudla before the retirement of Hyderabad Blackbirds' Bhuvan Bonu brought out the safety car and erased the gap. A closing charge from Ntiyiso Mabunda set up a tense final lap, but Mehta defended superbly to take the win. Ntiyiso Mabunda finished second for the third consecutive time in Chennai, while Sambudla completed the podium. Narola recorded the fastest lap in 1:39.676.

IRL opener: Mohsin edges Hyman in a photo-finish

Away from the F4 battle, Speed Demons Delhi's Shahan Ali Mohsin converted pole position into victory in the opening Indian Racing League (IRL) race at the same circuit, holding off Goa Aces JA Racing's Raoul Hyman by just 0.506 seconds over eight laps. Mohsin completed the race in 18:32.970 and posted the fastest lap of 1:36.354, while Chennai Turbo Riders' Shane Chandaria completed the podium 2.690 seconds off the pace. The top eight finished within 8.523 seconds of the winner.

Championship picture heading into Round 4

The Chennai weekend has fundamentally shifted the title fight. Sambudla now leads with 138 points, while Kyriakou must regroup on 117. Ntiyiso Mabunda's three consecutive runner-up finishes signal his consistency as a genuine championship factor, and Mehta's historic win adds a new name to the title conversation. With the series heading into its next round, Sambudla carries significant momentum, while Kyriakou will need a near-perfect response to close the gap.