National, September 18: The F4 Indian Championship moves into Round 2 this weekend at the Kari Motor Speedway (KMS), with three races on 19 and 20 September. The round is part of the Indian Racing Festival 2026, powered by JK Tyre.
Aris Kyriakou leads the standings on 51 points after three podium finishes in Round 1, held at the same circuit a week earlier. Luviwe Sambudla is second on 38 points after winning Race 1, and Aaron Mehta is third on 32.
Round 1 records and where the points stand
Kyriakou took the first Grand Slam of Indian F4 Season 5, with pole position, the Race 3 win, the fastest lap and every lap led. Mehta became the youngest front-row starter, podium finisher and lap leader in Indian F4 history. Aaryan Narola became the championship’s second-youngest race winner and one of only 12 drivers to lead every lap of an Indian F4 race.
Sambudla and Narola return to KMS looking to build on their race wins, while Mehta will try to turn his qualifying pace into another strong points finish. The organisers say that having raced at the track a week ago, drivers can fine-tune their setups and racecraft, which could make the three races closer.
Round 2 is the second of six rounds. The points table after Round 1:
| Position | Driver | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aris Kyriakou | 2nd (18) | 2nd (8) | 1st (25) | 51 |
| 2 | Luviwe Sambudla | 1st (25) | 8th (1) | 4th (12) | 38 |
| 3 | Aaron Mehta | 3rd (15) | 7th (2) | 3rd (15) | 32 |
Driver line-up for Round 2
Kolkata Royal Tigers: Aaron Mehta (Singapore), Swarnav Das (India)
Chennai Turbo Riders: Sai Aditya (USA/India), Anay Doshi (Kenya)
Hyderabad Blackbirds: Bhuvan Bonu (India), Shravan Shanmugavel (United Kingdom)
Speed Demons Delhi: Krishay Gutte (India), Ntiyiso Mabunda (South Africa)
Goa Aces JA Racing: Aaryan Narola (USA/India), Luviwe Sambudla (South Africa)
Godspeed Kochi: Mahlori Mabunda (South Africa)
Ahmedabad Apex Racers: Mathias Alexander Forland (Norway)
Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru: Enzo Rujugiro (South Africa), Aris Kyriakou (Australia)
How to watch in India
The Indian Racing Festival is broadcast on STAR Sports KHEL in Hinglish, STAR Sports 2 Kannada in Kannada and STAR Sports 2 Tamil in Tamil. It also streams on JioHotstar in English, Hinglish, Kannada and Tamil. The STAR Sports YouTube channel streams the races for viewers outside India.
The Indian Racing Festival combines the Indian Racing League and the F4 Indian Championship. The F4 series is FIA-certified and is a step for young drivers moving from karting to single-seaters, with Super Licence points on offer.
