On 23 October, Rocco Coronel turned 15, which meant he was finally old enough to race in Formula 4. He did so immediately during the final race weekend of the season in the Spanish Formula 4 Championship at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where he joined the Dutch team MP Motorsport. Coronel impressed in his racing debut in a single-seater car, finishing third in the second race out of a field of 34 drivers, putting him on the podium in his very first Formula 4 event. He had already gained considerable ground in the first race when he had to pit. Coronel also attracted attention in the final race with a magnificent comeback and a top-ten result. « The main goal was to gain experience with a view to next year. I never dared to dream that it would go so well and that I would be able to take home a trophy straight away. Really great! » said Coronel.
Racking up mileage, getting into the rhythm of racing and familiarising himself with the car and the championship were the most important objectives for Rocco Coronel after the end of the season in the British Ginetta Junior Championship, in which he won the title in dominant fashion, during the final weekend of the Spanish Formula 4 championship. After all, it had long been decided in consultation with Red Bull that the now 15-year-old Coronel would compete in Formula 4 next year as a Red Bull Junior.
Prior to the race weekend, which featured three races, there were two test sessions on the 4.6-kilometre Grand Prix circuit near Barcelona, during which Coronel was able to clock up a lot of kilometres. He finished the first test in 22nd place and the second test in 15th place, 0.634 seconds behind the fastest driver. « That went well and gave me a good feeling going into the weekend, » said Coronel. In the only official free practice session, he posted the 13th fastest time, which would ultimately prove to be important. The qualifying session was cancelled because of a problem with the timing software and no other solution was available at short notice. The race organisers then decided to use the results of the free practice session to determine the starting grid positions for the first race.
Coronel got off to a great start in that race and quickly made his way to the front. After a few laps, he was already in the top ten. Because it had been decided to use the fastest lap time from this race for the starting positions of the second race, many drivers came into the pits during the race for a set of fresh tyres in order to set a fast lap time. Coronel did the same, already in ninth place at the time of his pit stop. He returned to the track on fresh tyres. He finished the race in 22nd place overall and 12th in his class, but more importantly, his personal best time secured him third place on the starting grid for the second race. « This was a very unusual situation, but fortunately the team had everything under control and called me in at the right moment, so that I could set a fast lap time afterwards, » said the rookie.
Coronel managed to convert that good starting position for the second race into his first podium finish in 
Formula 4. The race started behind the safety car because part of the track was still damp. Once the field was released, Coronel managed to maintain his position. This was also the case at the end of a second safety car intervention, and he eventually crossed the finish line in third place. This secured his first top-three finish. « Unbelievable, I never thought I would be on the podium already. Beforehand, we had said that something around tenth place would be great, but a trophy is of course really cool, » said Coronel.
Qualifying for the third race was held in wet conditions and was quite chaotic with two red flags, but Coronel managed to secure fifth place, which with he was very happy. At the start of the race, almost an hour later than planned, things went wrong for Coronel: he stalled his car’s engine and found himself well down the order when he was finally able to start the race. « We don’t have an anti-stall system on the car, just a clutch with a pedal, » he explained afterwards. « It was a bit nerve-wracking standing there while the whole field drove past me. Some of them were only a centimetre away! But 
luckily everything went well and I was able to make up places quickly. » After the first lap, Coronel was in 19th place and then managed to gain even more positions, eventually finishing tenth overall and fifth among the rookies. « I was certainly satisfied with my speed, but of course I have to make sure that stalling the engine is something that doesn’t happen again next year, » he laughed.
All in all, Coronel looks back with satisfaction on his maiden race weekend in Formula 4. « Of course, there are always things that can be improved, but in any case, I learned a lot and gained a lot of valuable experience, which I am very happy about, and being able to take home a trophy right away is very nice, » he said.