Race Report

FIA FORMULA 4
ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 13/14/15

Circuit: Imola (I); Length: 4.909 km, 27^th/28^th/29^th July 2018
www.autodromoimola.com

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2018:
Giorgio Carrara (ARG), Gregoire Saucy (CH), Nazim Azman (MAL), Javier Gonzalez (MEX), Oliver Rasmussen (DK) & Federico Malvestiti (I)

Malvestiti wins and Carrara with podium in Imola

The fifth of seven meetings in the Italian FIA Formula 4 Championship took place before the summer break on the characterful circuit at Imola (I). 28 competitors entered the meeting. You can follow the races live on sporttube tv.

Qualifying

Saturday, 28/07/18, 09.35 – 10.15, Weather: Sunny, 30°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 time of each driver in either qualifying session.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race One (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Saturday, 28/07/18, 15.00, Weather: Sunny, 33°C

The first race started in the heat of Saturday afternoon and Federico made good use of his pole position to take the lead from Lorandi. Giorgio moved past Fittipaldi to claim 3rd, Gregoire was 10^th, Nazim 15^th, Javier 16^th and Oliver 19^th. Lorandi soon piled on the pressure and after three laps found a way past Federico. Federico didn’t want to take any chances, but he stayed close to the leader. Giorgio came under pressure from Fittipaldi, but managed to maintain a gap, while Rodrigues managed to overtake Gregoire which meant that Gregoire was now 11^th, a position he held all the way to the finish line. Javier managed to overtake Nazim towards the end of the race, and the pair came home in line astern, Javier in 14^th and Nazim in 15^th place. Oliver had consistently improved his lap times and had worked his way forward to 18^th. Lorandi, Federico, Giorgio and Fittipaldi set a very fast pace at the front, and no one put a foot wrong, so Federico finished in excellent 2^nd place just ahead of Giorgio, who stepped onto the podium a proud 3^rd.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Two (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 29/07/18, 09.50, Weather: Sunny, 30°C

The morning was hot again for race 2, and the start went well with Federico holding 4^th place. He drove a very strong race and kept his place all the way to the finish. Javier came back from the first lap in 7^th and was able to hold this place until the end of the race. Further back Giorgio battled for 9th, but had a few off track moments. Rodriguez didn’t need a second invitation and was through, which meant Giorgio finished in 10^th place. Gregoire was pushed off the track soon after the start and took a trip across the grass; he was able to continue, but his tyres were dirty and later he slid off and landed up in the gravel trap. Unfortunately his race was over. Nazim shared a similar fate, having worked his way up to 11^th, before he was pushed off the track. He managed to get back into the race and finished 15^th in the end. Oliver was making good progress before he bounced over the kerbs, which was too much for the suspension on his car and something broke. He managed to limp back to the pits, but unfortunately his race was over.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Three (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 29/07/2018, 15.10, Weather: Sunny, 33°C

The third race of the weekend was also run in high temperatures. Federico made use of his pole position and to take the lead. Despite being pressured by Fittipaldi, Federico’s nerves held steady and he confirmed his great form lap after lap, managing two restarts after two short Safety Car phases to perfection. He never gave Fittipaldi the chance to attack and claimed a very convincing victory, his first in this category. Gregoire was also determined this time and gained a place after the start, putting in a strong race to be in 5^th place at the chequered flag. Javier held 7^th place for most of the race, but after one of the restarts he was taken by surprise by Krütten and spent the rest of the race on 8^th place until he crossed the finish line. Giorgio had an off track excursion after the start and then worked his way up from 21^st, finishing in 10^th place and claiming the last available point. Nazim was up into the top ten, when Alatalo and Molotov sandwiched him. They both then landed up in the gravel, while Nazim had his front wing shaved off, but made it back to the pit lane for a replacement part. The Safety Car was still out when he managed to rejoin the field, and he was able to fight his way back up to 14^th in what was left of the race. Oliver had all his hopes on this race, because he started from 15^th place, which was further up than the previous races. At first it all seemed to go well and he made up positions, but after the restart he dropped back after contact with another driver, and he reached the finish line in 20^th.

The next race of the Italian F4 Championship takes place on the weekend of 16^th September 2018 at Vallelunga (I).

Championship Standings

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship 2017 after 15 races:
1^st Leonardo Lorandi (I), 239 points; 2^nd Enzo Fittipaldi (BRA), 223 points; 3^rd Olli Caldwell (GB), 153 points; 4^th Federico Malvestiti (I), 136 points; 5^th Petr Ptacek (CZE), 129 points; 6^th Gianluca Petecof (BRA), 90 points; 7^th Giorgio Carrara (ARG), 80 points; 12^th Gregoire Saucy (CH), 43 points; 13^th Javier Gonzalez (MEX), 40 points; 18^th Nazim Azman (MAL), 13 points; 21^st Oliver Rasmussen (DK), 4 points

Rookie-Wertung:
1^st Petr Ptacek (CZE), 300 points; 2^nd Gianluca Petecof (BRA), 207 points; 3^rd Umberto Laganella (I), 138 points; 8^th Oliver Rasmussen (DK), 71 points

2018 FIA FORMULA 4 ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP - CALENDAR

More info:

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