Race Report

FIA FORMULA 4
ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 16/17/18

Circuit: Imola (I), Length 4.909 km, 23^rd/24^th/25^th September 2016
www.autodromoimola.com

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2016:
Diego Ciantini (ARG), Marcos Siebert (ARG), Giacomo Bianchi (CH) & Job van Uitert (NL)

Van Uitert takes double win at Imola

The sixth and therefore penultimate race meeting of the Italian FIA Formula 4 Championship took place at the characterful Imola circuit. 29 drivers were in attendance, all very keen to take on the latest challenge. The races can be followed live on sporttube tv..

Qualifying

Friday, 23/09/16, 17.05 – 17.45, Weather: Sunny, 20°C

The rules allow for two qualifying sessions of 15 minutes, with a 10 minute break in between. The Qualifying 1 times determine the grid for Race 1 and the times from Qualifying 2 determine the grid for Race 2. The starting order for Race 3 is based on the results of Race 2, but with the top ten reversed.

After two free practices the qualifying session was run at the end of the afternoon. Our drivers did good work and all claimed very good positions, despite 18 cars finishing within one second of the best time.
Marcos claimed a 2^nd place and a pole position, while Job took two 3^rd places. Diego was placed 14^th once and 17^th for his other start. Giacomo was closer to his colleagues this time in 19^th and 20^th positions.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race One (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Saturday, 24/09/16, 13.25, Weather: Sunny, 22°C

The lights went red and Schumacher went off like a rocket while Marcos and Job made good starts settling in to 2^nd and 3^rd places after the end of the first lap. Diego also started well and gained several places, putting him 9^th after the first lap, while Giacomo was 21^st. Job was on a roll and soon managed to put pressure on Marcos. On lap three he made his move and got past. Two laps later Schumacher had to serve a drive through penalty for jumping the start which promoted Job to race leader. Marcos came under pressure from Vips, who eventually got past which meant the order was Job from Vips and Marcos. Diego drove a spectacular race, with a lot of fighting going on in his group. Diego shone with a number of courageous manoeuvres and fought his way through to 6^th. Giacomo, unfortunately, had an off track moment and got dirt on his tyres, and it took him some time to get back into a rhythm. When DeFrancesco got stuck in the gravel trap the Safety Car was deployed with the race only restarting just before the finish and the chequered flag. After a very strong race Job took a brilliant maiden win in the category and Marcos was an excellent third on the podium. Diego had a great race and claimed a shiny top ten position with 6^th place while Giacomo finished the race in 19^th place.
After the race the race director decided that Marcos had also jumped the start, and handed him a 25 second penalty which dropped him back to 25^th, moving Diego and Giacomo up one position each.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Two (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 25/09/16, 09.30, Weather: Sunny, 17°C

The start went well, but there was chaos at the first corner when Schumacher spun into the gravel trap. That left Bertonelli was leading from Marcos and Vips. Vips tried everything to get past Marcos, banging into him and damaging his own front wing, which meant he had to go to the pitls for a replacement part. Bertonelli then had to serve a drive through penalty for jumping the start, and that meant Marcos took the lead. Job lost a few places after the start, but then moved back up the order in a series of brilliant moves. When Marcos took the lead Job was already 3rd. When Giacomo fell off the Safety Car had to be deployed. Giacomo had driven a very good race until that moment, managing to overtake several cars and progressing from 20^th up to 16^th. Then he left his braking too late and shot into the gravel! Diego impressed everyone again with a very good run, and had fought it out with Giacomo and was already up to 15^th. At the restart it was Job who put in a strong drive. After the first few corners he carried out his attack on Marcos and took the lead. After that Marcos next came under pressure from Colomo, who then also overtook him. Colomo took up the pursuit of Job, but Job made no mistakes and held the lead. Marcos was 3^rd and very keen to keep his position all the way to the chequered flag. At the restart Diego courageously moved further up the order and then got into a tough fight with Raucci for 10^th place. They tangled and both shot off the track, both cars ending up stranded and heavily damaged. That meant the Safety Car had to be deployed yet again. As had happened in the first race, the Safety Car came in, and the sole task the drivers had left to perform was to cross the finish line. Job took a brilliant 2^nd win in a row, and Marcos was again on the podium in 3^rd place.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Three (18 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 25/09/2016, 16.30, Weather: Sunny, 20°C

Marcos held his position at the start and was 8^th after the first lap. Job was 11^th, Diego 15^th and Giacomo 23^rd but then the Safety Car had to be deployed for a lap so that a a car could be cleared away. Job was hit by another car at the restart and had to drive back to the pits with a flat rear tyre. The tyre was changed and Job continued in the race. Marcos moved up to 7^th place, Diego fell back to 17^th and Giacomo was now 20^th. Job drove a lonely race behind the pack where he was able to set one fast lap after another and managed to set the fastest lap of the race. On the penultimate lap Marcos left his braking late which ended in a spin that dropped him back to 21^st, while Job was classified in 25^th place.

The last race of the Italian F4 Championship will take place in five weeks’ time on the weekend of 30^th October at Imola (I).

Championship Standings

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship 2016 after 18 races:
1^st Marcos Siebert (ARG), 205 points; 2^nd Mick Schumacher (D), 180 points; 3^rd Raul Guzman M. (MEX), 167 points; 4^th Job van Uitert (NL), 134.5 points; 5^th Juri Vips (EST), 111 points; 6^th Juan Manuel Correa (USA), 104.5 points; 16^th Diego Ciantini (ARG), 33.5 points; 29^th Fabio Scherer (CH), 3 points; 31^st Kevin Kratz (D), 1 point

2016 FIA FORMULA 4 ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP - CALENDAR

More info:

• www.acisportitalia.it/F4/
• www.italiaracing.net