Race Report

FIA FORMELA 4
ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 01/02/03

Circuit: Misano (I), Length 4.226 km, 31^st/01^st/02^nd April 2017
www.misanocircuit.com

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2017:
Kush Maini (IND), Job van Uitert (NL), Giorgio Carrara (ARG), Giacomo Bianchi (CH) & Federico Malvestiti (I)

Carrara starts the season with a rookie podium!

The first of seven meetings in the Italian FIA Formula 4 Championship took place at the Misano World Circuit near Rimini (I). With 28 competitors present for the meeting, their expectations were as high as could be in advance of the start. You can follow the races live on sporttube tv.

Qualifying

Friday, 27/05/16, 17.35 – 18.15, 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 2^nd best laptime of each driver in either qualifying session.

After two free practice sessions on Friday the first two qualifying sessions of the new season were held early on Saturday morning. The two sessions were run with a break of only 10 minutes between them. Things were rocking hard from start to finish, just as they had been in the free practice session with around half of the field within a second of the fastest time. Unfortunately all of our drivers had at least one time disallowed for not respecting track limits...

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race One (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Saturday, 01/04/17, 16.55, Weather: Cloudy, 21°C

The first start of the new season went well and the big field got away cleanly to start the first lap. Kush was 10^th, Job 11^th, Federico 17^th, Giacomo 20^th and Giorgio 26^th. Kush drove very well, putting in some super overtaking manoeuvres as he worked his way up to 6^th. There however he tangled with Drugovich and lost his front wing, and things got even worse when he couldn’t avoid colliding with Correa at the next corner due to his badly handling car. Correa was pitched into a multiple roll and Kush also finished up in the gravel though luckily both drivers were unhurt. It cost Kush a very good result and valuable points and led to the Safety Car being deployed. Job was now 8^th, Federico 14^th, Giacomo 17^th and Giorgio up to 19^th. By the time the race restarted they only had two laps left to run but after Drugovich had to pit with a puncture and Lorandi was given a time penalty, Job finished the first race of the season in a promising 6^th place. Federico, who was aiming for 13^th, had an off track moment after the restart and lost his place to Giacomo, the two crossing the line inline astern, in 14^th and 15^th respectively. Giorgio, who today drove his very first race in a single seater was very upset after he stalled his engine at the start. After that he had a good race and overtook several of his rivals, battling his way up to a very good 17^th place, finished as third best rookie! He was very proud to step onto the rookie podium at the end of his very first race and we – and he – hope for many more to come!

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Two (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 02/04/17, 10.10, Weather: Overcast, 14°C

It was overcast and cool for the second race. Job managed to gain two places during the first lap and then started to put pressure on Drugovich, although he wasn’t able to find a way past. Laliberté had closed the gap and his attack on Job was successful which dropped Job back to 7^th where he came under pressure from Lorandi. Job managed to pull away again and eventually came home in a good 7^th place. After his non-finish in the first race Kush had to start right at the back and impressed everyone in a great chase for positions, finally crossing the line in 12^th! Federico started well and maintained his position until he attempted to overtake Rodriguez, when they touched and Federico had to limp back to the pit lane with a damaged front wing. The damage was too great to be repaired, and his race was over on the spot. Giacomo also put in a very good race, starting well and managing to overtake several cars. He made it up to a very good 14^th place in the end. Giorgio managed a better start today and continued to collect valuable racing experience, bringing the car home undamaged in 18^th place.
After the race several fines were handed to drivers who failed to respect track limits during the race and there were some changes to the results once the penalties were applied.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Three (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 02/04/17, 17.10, Weather: Cloudy, 16°C

Colombo made a poor start from pole, and Lorandi and Vips had an accident at the start. It caused a bit of excitement at the start with Kush charging up 4th and accelerating away. He was right up there with Armstrong and fighting for positions, when Colombo appeared in his mirrors and managed to pass him. Colombo fought it out with Armstrong, while Kush kept a close watch. When Colombo passed Armstrong, Kush thought he’d seen his chance, but Armstrong fought back and they clashed, both ending up in the gravel traps with damaged cars. This was a shame because it looked as if a podium finish was within reach. Job shot into 8^th at the start and began setting some good times as he battled his way up to 6^th, eventually coming home in that position to collect more valuable points. Federico and Giacomo also gained ground in the early laps, ending up running in close formation as they continued to make up ground. They were just outside the top ten in 11^th and 12^th respectively. Giorgio put his heart and soul into his race but couldn’t avoid a clash with another car which earned him a drive through penalty. He came in immediately to serve his sentence and then tried to avoid any further risk, coming home in 21^st place. He’d gained a lot of experience over the course of the weekend!

The next race of the Italian F4 Championship takes place on the weekend of 7^th May at Adria (I).

Championship Standings

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship 2017 after 3 races:
1^st Sebastian Fernandez (VEN), 75 points; 2^nd Lorenzo Colombo (I), 48 points; 3^rd Artem Petrov (RUS), 33 points; 4^th Job van Uitert (NL), 28 points; 5^th Juri Vips (EST), 27 points; 6^th Marcus Armstrong (NZL), 25 points; 12^th Kush Maini (IND), 2 points; 12^th Federico Malvestiti (I), 2 points; 12^th Giacomo Bianchi (CH), 2 points

Rookie-Classification:
1^st Enzo Fittipaldi (BRA), 68 points; 2^nd Leonardo Lorandi (I), 53 points; 3^rd Giorgio Carrara (ARG), 33 points

2017 FIA FORMULA 4 ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP - CALENDAR

More info:

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