BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (October 21, 2025) – Alex Popow put on an absolute clinic in Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) at Barber Motorsports Park this weekend, pacing every session and leading every race from start to finish. Sunday’s race was no exception, with the Venezuelan-American taking the victory with a 14.559-second margin over the rest of the field.

Posting the fastest lap in Saturday’s Race 1, Popow (No. 55 Dr. Michael Thompson MS DDS PPLS / MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422) once again led the field to the waving green flag. He immediately checked out, pacing the field for the entire 30 minutes of the all-green race. Behind him, there were some great battles that broke out with Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 N-E-Where Transport / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F422), Clemente Huerta Raab (No. 17 Velox USA / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) and series newcomer Zach Fourie (No. 15 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) fighting hard for second, while Luke Powers (No. 51 Corporate Commercial Group / Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F422), Demitri Nolan (No. 5 Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F422) and Caleb Campbell (No. 68 Kids Help Phone / Camtacc Properties / Legacy Foundation of Canada / LC Racing Ligier JS F422) battled for fifth. While Nolan and Campbell ultimately pulled away from Powers. Hauanio, Fourie and Huerta Raab remained nose to stern all the way to the checkered flag.

As they crossed the finish line, Popow led the field, with Hauanio in second and Fourie in third.

> > REPLAY THE STREAM: Stream Round 17 from Barber

Notes of Interest:

• Alex Popow earned his fourth victory of the 2025 season, taking the Vice Championship title.
• For the 13th time in 17 rounds, Kekai Hauanio finished on the podium with a second-place result.
• Zach Fourie earned his first-career podium in the second race of his F4 U.S. debut weekend.
• Already the 2025 F4 U.S. Champion, Cooper Shipman made his Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) debut at Barber. As part of his championship prize, Shipman will receive a full scholarship to compete in FR Americas next season, including the lease of a chassis from Ligier Automotive North America, an engine from Mountune USA, race tires from Hankook Motorsports and race entries from Parella Motorsports Holdings. In total, the package is valued in excess of $295,000.

“This feels good – it’s a good way to end our season,” said Popow atop the podium. “We had a really bittersweet season; we could have had a chance at the championship, but a lot of different reasons pulled us out of it. It feels good to take the Vice Championship and come here to Barber and get some wins. Thanks to the whole MLT Motorsports crew—Dr. Mike, Eric, Tom—as well as my family. I have my dad, my mom and my sister all here supporting me. Likewise, I just have to thank everyone that helped make this possible—there’s been so many people along this journey. Being up here is a really big deal for me, compared to where we were a couple years ago.”

> > SEE MORE:  Round 17 Official Results 

With the 2025 F4 U.S. campaign officially complete, the championship will look toward 2026 and the pre-season test at NOLA Motorsports Park, March 23-24, just two weeks before the season opens at the same venue. Additional news and updates throughout the off-season will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Prospective drivers looking to learn more about F4 U.S. are encouraged to visit the championship’s website at F4USChampionship.com.