Race Report
FIA FORMULA 4
ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 16/17/18
Circuit: Mugello (I), Length 5.245 km, 29th September – 1st October 2023
www.mugellocircuit.it
JENZER MOTORSPORT 2023:
Ethan Ischer (CH), Ariel Elkin (ISR); Hwarang Kim KOR)
Elking close to the top ten in Mugello
The sixth of the seven races of the Italian FIA F4 Championship took place at the fast GP circuit of Mugello. Thirty-four cars were entered.
Qualifying
Saturday, 30/09/23, 10.20 – 11.00, Weather: Sunny, 25°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 2nd best lap time of each driver in either of the two qualifying sessions.
| Results Qualifying 1 & Grid for Race One | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Sztuka Kacper (POL) | US | 1.47.191 |
| 2nd | Tuukka Taponen (FIN) | Prema | 1.47.197 |
| 3rd | Ugo Ugochukwu (USA) | Prema | 1.47.379 |
| 23rd | Ariel Elkin (ISR) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1.48.379 |
| 24th | Ethan Ischer (CH) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1.48.521 |
| 28th | Hwarang Kim (KOR) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1.49.014 |
| Results Qualifying 2 & Grid for Race Two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kacper Sztuka (POL) | US | 1.47.224 |
| 2nd | Ugo Ugochukwu (USA) | Prema | 1.47.262 |
| 3rd | Arvid Lindblad (GBR) | Prema | 1.47.315 |
| 19th | Ariel Elkin (ISR) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1.48.316 |
| 22nd | Ethan Ischer (CH) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1.48.508 |
| 27th | Hwarang Kim (KOR) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1.48.913 |
| Grid for Race Three | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kacper Sztuka (POL) | US | |
| 2nd | Ugo Ugochukwu (OL) | Prema | |
| 3rd | Tuukka Taponen (FIN) | Prema | |
| 24th | Ethan Ischer (CH) | Jenzer Motorsport | |
| 25th | Ariel Elkin (ISR) | Jenzer Motorsport | |
| 28th | Hwarang Kim (KOR) | Jenzer Motorsport | |
FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship
Race One (30 minutes + 1 lap)
Saturday, 30/09/23, 17.50, Weather: Sunny, 28°C
The first race of the weekend got underway on Saturday late afternoon, as the sun was setting down on the circuit. From the 22nd spot on the grid, Ariel had a good start and kept his position. Behind him, Ethan had a brilliant getaway and moved past his teammate, up to 20th place. Hwarang also started well and he gained places, moving from 30th place to 26th position. A Safety Car had to be deployed already by the end of the opening lap, but the race quickly resumed on lap 3. Our drivers took advantage of the restart to gain positions with Ariel now in 18th place, Ethan in 20th and Hwarang in 24th. During the middle stage of the race, our drivers remained in the group for the fight and managed to keep their position, leaving the best for the last laps. When the chequered flag waved, Ariel took 14th place! Ethan was not far behind, in 17th position, while Hwarang crossed the line in 20th position after recovering 10 places!
| Race One Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kacper Sztuka (POL) | US | 32.55.821 | |
| 2nd | Ugo Ugochukwu (USA) | Prema | Gap | 1.594 |
| 3rd | Arvid Lindblad (ENG) | Prema | Gap | 9.389 |
| 14th | Ariel Elkin (ISR) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| 17th | Ethan Ischer (CH) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| 20th | Hwarang Kim (KOR) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| Fastest lap: Kacper Sztuka (POL) in 1:48.927 | ||||
FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship
Race Two (30 minutes + 1 lap)
Sunday, 23/07/23, 10.10, Weather: Sunny, 18°C
The start of the second race was given on Sunday morning under clear skies with a cool temperature, which increased during the course of the race. Ariel started in 19th position, while Ethan had an excellent start in 20th position and moved up two positions on the first lap. Kim started in 27th position and immediately started to fight. A safety car had to take the field over at the end of the first lap and when the race resumed, our drivers managed to improve their positions. Lap after lap, Ethan was in a very good rhythm and moved up to 16th position. Unfortunately, with 5 minutes to go, the safety car came in again as Lindblad and Badoer collided. After that no time was left on the clock and the race ended behind the safety car. Ethan finished race two in 14th position, two positions behind him was Ariel in 16th position while Hwarang managed to move up to 25th place.
| Race Two Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kacper Sztuka (POL) | US | 34.36.311 | |
| 2nd | Ugo Ugochukwu (USA) | Prema | Gap | 0.389 |
| 3rd | Akshay Bohra (SGP) | Prema | Gap | 0.304 |
| 14th | Ethan Ischer (CH) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| 16th | Ariel Elkin (ISR) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| 25th | Hwarang Kim (KOR) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| Fastest lap: Sztuka Kacper (POL) in 1:48.796 | ||||
FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship
Race Three (30 minutes + 1 lap)
Sunday, 01/10/23, 16.50, Weather: Sunny, 32°C
After a long, hot afternoon, the third race of the weekend got started. Soon there was an accident and the safety car had to take over the field. At the start and also at the restart, our drivers did well and improved their positions. Ariel was now 17th, Ethan 20th and Hwarang 25th. Ariel managed to gain place after place in the subsequent laps. He made it up to 12th place, gaining a total of 10 places. Ethan was also fighting for positions, but in this race he had his worst tires available and ultimately had to settle for taking home 19th position. It took Hwarang a few laps until he finally found his rhythm and managed to move up 9 positions from 27th on the grid to 18th.
| Race Three Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kacper Sztuka (POL) | US | 30.36.019 | |
| 2nd | Ugo Ugochukwu (US) | Prema | Gap | 2.885 |
| 3rd | James Wharton (AUS) | Prema | Gap | 4.096 |
| 12th | Ariel Elkin (ISR) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| 18th | Hwarang Kim (KOR) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| 19th | Ethan Ischer (CH) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| Fastest lap: Sztuka Kacper (POL) in 1:49.628 | ||||
Ethan Ischer (CH)
Hwarang Kim (KOR)
Ariel Elkin (ISR)
© Photo Pellegrini
Championship Standings
FIA F4 Italian Championship 2023 after 18 races:
1st Kacper Sztuka (POL), 258 points; 2nd Arvid Lindblad (SWE), 256.5 points; 3rd Ugo Ugochukwu (USA), 240 points; 4th James Wharton (AUS), 177.5 points; 5th Tuukka Taponen (FIN), 145 points; 6th Brando Badoer (ITA), 136 points; 22nd Ariel Elkin, 6.5 points
Rookie-Standings:
1st Arvid Lindblad (SWE), 317.5 points; 2nd Tuukka Taponen (FIN), 234.5 points; 3rd Zachary David (PHL), 200.5 points; 10th Ariel Elkin (ISR), 66 points
2023 Italian FIA Formula 4 Championship
| 21/22/23 April | Imola (I) | |
| 05/06/07 May | Misano (I) | |
| 26/27/28 May | Spa (B) | |
| 23/24/25 June | Monza (I) | |
| 21/22/23 July | Paul Ricard (F) | |
| 29/30 Sept – 01 Oct | Mugello (I) | |
| 13/14/15 October | Vallelunga (I) |
More info:
