Gomez extends Formula Winter Series points lead after Valencia weekend

Gabriel Gomez extended his lead in the Formula Winter Series standings after continuing his perfect podium record for the year in Valencia.

The US Racing driver started on pole for all three races at Circuit Ricardo Tormo last weekend but only converted one into victory which came in the opening half-hour contest.

Gomez leads the 2025 championship by 34 points regardless, while Maxim Rehm and Leo Robinson won the other races in the season’s second weekend. 

The Brazilian scored a relatively straightforward lights-to-flag victory in the opening race, despite three safety car periods for incidents further back.

It was his third victory of the season with Robinson finishing as runner-up, despite the Algerian initially being disqualified from the race as his car allegedly breached the technical regulations. 

The decision was overturned, so the Hitech driver split Gomez and the Brazilian’s US Racing team-mate Rehm on the podium.

Gomez suffered a poor start to race two though, as he lost the lead to Robinson before dropping to fourth behind Rehm and Fionn McLaughlin.

The safety car period which soon appeared forced the top four to keep position but then at the restart, McLaughlin thwarted Gomez’s attempt to take third at Turn 2. 

Moments later, Rehm overtook Robinson for the lead at the exit of Turn 6 to eventually take his maiden series victory after being disqualified from the opening weekend in Portimao as his car brakes breached the technical regulations.

Robinson settled for second and the pair were joined on the podium by Gomez, who jumped ahead of McLaughlin as the Irishman received a five-second penalty for jumping the start.

History repeated itself in the final race, as pole sitter Gomez endured a slow start losing his lead at Turn 2 to Robinson who subsequently never lost position for his first win and fifth podium of the year. 

Gomez settled for second and the championship’s top two drivers were joined by Van Amersfoort Racing’s Maksimilian Popov, who claimed his second podium of the year.

It means the Italian is now third in the championship, 80 points behind Gomez with the Aragon (27 February – 2 March) and Barcelona (6-9 March) rounds remaining.