Race Report

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

Circuit: Mugello (I); Lenght: 5.245 km, 6^th/7^th/8^th October 2017
www.mugellocircuit.it

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

Podiums for Van Uitert and Carrara

The sixth and thus penultimate event in the Italian FIA Formula 4 Championship took place on the demanding circuit of Mugello (I), set in the hills near Florence. A race weekend had already been run here in July, so everyone was already familiar with the track. To add to the challenge though the weather was very changeable. You can follow the races live on sporttube tv.

Qualifying

Friday, 06/10/17, 16.30 – 17.10, Weather: Overcast, 16°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 2^nd best lap times of each driver in either qualifying session.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race One (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Saturday, 07/10/17, 13.25, Weather: Sunny, 20°C

Job, who had started from 4^th place, was sandwiched between two other cars which cost him a few places, but he was able to slot back in in 8^th, immediately in front of Kush, who was running in 9^th place. Gregoire, who had gained a place at the start, was in 10^th and was able to put Kush under pressure, pulling alongside him several times. He just couldn’t quite make the move stick. Despite that Gregoire should be proud at scoring his first points! Giacomo started well and then got into a fight with Rodriguez. He had to give way in the end which put Giacomo 13^th. Next thing Federico was behind him and applying pressure. Federico had overtaken Giorgio at the start and was on a good run but he couldn’t get past Giacomo. That meant Federico crossed the finish line in 14^th. Giorgio, who had fallen back at the start, soon caught up and started to regain the places he had lost. Shortly before the end of the race he also managed to overtake Branquinho, which was important in terms of the Rookie Championship. Giorgio was on the rookie podium once again, this time in 3^rd position!

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Two (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 08/10/17, 09.00, Weather: Sunny, 17°C

Job managed a very good start and immediately settled in in 2^nd place. Kush was 4^th, Federico 8^th, Gregoire 10^th, Giorgio 13^th and Giacomo 14^th when Colombo crashed out and the Safety Car had to be deployed. After the restart Job came under pressure from Lorandi, but he soon managed to break away and opened up a gap. Job was on a great charge and came home safely to claim a great 2^nd place. Rodriguez managed to overtake Kush, but later on Kush was able to reclaim 4^th before closing the gap on Lorandi and beginning to pile pressure on him. However, he didn’t take any risks and reached the finish line in an excellent 4^th place. Gregoire overtook Federico at the restart and drove very well. He was already up in 7^th and managed to bring this very good position home. Federico seemed to be set in a good 8^th place, but then he encountered a problem with his car, ran wide and shot off into the gravel, which was a real pity. Giorgio had a race long battle with Fittipaldi, who finally passed him under yellows. Fittipaldi was later excluded from the results for this action, which meant Giorgio finished the race in a good 12^th place. Giacomo dropped back after the start and then spent a long time in 17^th place, improving to 15^th in the closing stages.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Three (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 08/10/2017, 15.55, Weather: Sunny, 20°C

Job again settled in in 2^nd place just as he had in the morning race and started in pursuit of Armstrong. He was soon very close, but then the message appeared, that Job had been given a drive through penalty because of a jump start. He served the penalty and with that any chance of a podium position was gone. He finished the race in 16^th. Kush made a good start and was 4^th, although a few laps later Petrov managed to pass him, the Russian’s tyres obviously much better than Kush’s at this stage. Kush gave it everything to try keep 5^th, but then he was given a 25-second penalty because his mechanic had taken tape off his car after the five-minute board had been shown on the grid. That meant he was finally classified 18^th. Giorgio was feeling very good in this race and managed to work his way forward into the top ten. He finally reached an excellent 9^th place and also stepped onto the rookie podium once more, this time in 3^rd place. Federico, Gregoire and Giacomo all drove well and reached the chequered flag one behind the other, in 11^th, 12^th and 13^th respectively.

Championship Standings

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship 2017 after 18 races:
1^st Marcus Armstrong (NZL), 267 points; 2^nd Job van Uitert (NL), 214 points; 3^rd Lorenzo Colombo (I), 187 points; 4^th Sebastian Fernandez (VEN), 181 points; 5^th Leonardo Lorandi (I), 161 points; 6^th Artem Petrov (RUS), 142 points; 9^th Kush Maini (IND), 85 points; 16^th Federico Malvestiti (I), 9 points; 17^th Gregoire Saucy (CH), 7 points; 18^th Giacomo Bianchi (CH), 6 points; 21^st Giorgio Carrara (ARG), 4 points

Rookie-Classification:
1^st Leonardo Lorandi (I), 428 points; 2^nd Enzo Fittipaldi (BRA), 257 points; 3^rd Giorgio Carrara (ARG), 227 points

2017 FIA FORMULA 4 ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP - CALENDAR

More info:

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