Ugo Ugochukwu takes two in a row to open F4 UAE account

McLaren junior Ugo Ugochukwu has taken back-to-back victories, winning the second race of the F4 UAE season in Dubai.

Ugo Ugochukwu during the first round of the 2023 F4 UAE in Dubai. (Formula 4 UAE)

Tuukka Taponen started on pole but a blazing start from Ugochukwu put his PREMA into the lead by turn one.

Krill Smal was in third in the early stages with Arvin Linblad pressuring him for the final podium position to complete the lead pack.

The race was neutralised when Jakob Bergmeister spun and was stranded on track, leading to a long safety car period.

Ugochukwu led away well at the restart and it was Linblad who made the most of the compressed pack, passing Smal for the final podium position.

The leading pair stuck together and pulled away until the flag, with Ugochukwu taking the victory and Tuukka Tapnonen in second with five seconds of clear air ahead of Lindlad.

Australian James Wharton was absent despite qualifying fourth, stalling on the grid and dropping to the rear of the field.

After storming through the 39-car pack, the Ferrari junior was able to recover to seventeenth in the final standings.

Wharton led a pack of Australians in the final order, with Jack Beeton in eighteenth and Jimmy Piszcyk nineteenth.

Noah Lisle was the highest finisher from the Aussie cohort, corssing the line in twelfth for local team Xcel Motorsport.