Race Report

FIA FORMULA 4
ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 07/08/09

Circuit: Mugello (I), Length 5.245 km, 11^th/12^th/13^th July 2014
www.mugellocircuit.it

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2014:
Ali Al Khalifa (BRN), Alain Valente (CH), Lucas Mauron (CH) and Nico Rindlisbacher (CH)

Podium for Valente in Mugello

The third of seven meetings in the Italian FIA Formula 4 Championship took place at the demanding Mugello circuit. 21 drivers were present, and they were very keen to take up the latest challenge. The races can be followed live on sporttube tv.

Qualifying

Saturday, 12/07/14, 09.00 – 09.40, Weather: Sunny, 20°C

The rules of the championship allow for two qualifying sessions, each 15 minutes long, with a break of just ten minutes in between. Results from qualification 1 determine the grid for Race One, while results from qualification session 2 determine the grid for Race Three; the grid for Race Two is based on the results of Race One, with the first ten finishers starting in reverse order.

Our drivers were again confronted in the face of a very demanding challenge. With their limited experience in what are still the early stages of this season they needed to get to grips with the high-speed Mugello circuit. Nico went off in the first session and ended up in the gravel trap, just as the session was red-flagged as a result of Ali’s accident. He had gone off on grass, lost control of the car, and hit the wall hard. Alain made it to 7^th in the first session, while Lucas was 10^th. Nico and Ali were at the bottom of the timesheets as a result of their offs.
Shortly before the second session started Nico’s car was brought back. The mechanics were working hard to clear out the gravel and clean it so he could drive. The second session was also interrupted by the red flag, after which only a few minutes of the session remained. Alain finished in a good 5^th place, while Lucas was 8^th, again qualifying inside the top ten. Nico’s tyres were very dirty which meant he was lucky to end up 17^th on the grid.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race One (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Saturday, 12/07/14, 15.35, Weather: Cloudy, 26°C

The damage to Ali’s car from the accident in qualifying was so substantial that it was impossible to get his car ready again in time for the first race. All he could do was watch.
The start went well. Alain was up in 5^th, but was unable to fend off Drudi. Next he came under pressure from Russo, defending his position for lap after lap until, shortly before the end, Russo found a way past. Even so 7^th was a good result for Alain. Lucas made a good start and was able to gain several places, holding 9^th for many a lap. Finally he ran wide in one of the corners, which was enough for Bandeira and Kasai to get past him. Lucas took the chequered flag in an excellent 11^th place. Nico also made a good start and ran a strong race. A number of superb overtaking manoeuvres enabled him to progress steadily from 19^th to 13^th by the end. After the unlucky qualifying session this did much to restore his self confidence. Fontana, who was ahead of him after the race, was awarded a 25 second penalty for causing an avoidable accident. That moved Nico into 12^th, which meant he scored the final available point in his class.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Two (18 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 13/07/14, 09.00, Weather: Overcast, 18°C

The clouds were low and the track was still damp, which meant the drivers faced a more demanding task today. Wheels spun at the start, and there were a number of off track moments. None of the incidents were particularly serious, and so the race continued. Alain played it a little too cautious to start with and he lost several places. Nico‘s start, on the other hand, was reasonably successful and he was up to 10^th, just ahead of Alain. Lucas was 13^th at the end of the first lap while Ali started from the back of the field. He came into the pits at the end of lap one just to get his car checked over after the amount of damage it had sustained in qualifying. After the check he rejoined the race, gaining valuable experience in the slippery conditions, and finishing 20^th. Alain adapted well to the difficult conditions, getting past Nico early on and ending up in a group with Fontana and Vieira. Vieira managed to overtake Fontana, and a few laps later Alain was also able to gat past, finishing the race in a good 9^th place. Nico was fighting with Baruch for places, but Baruch passed him in the end. After an eventful race Nico crossed the finish line in 12^th. Lucas came under pressure from Matveev, but was able to keep him back, while Dante and Ragunathan scrapped ahead of him, giving him quite a scare when they pushed each other off, skittered across the grass and came back on. After a very exciting race Lucas crossed the finish line in 14^th place.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Three (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 13/07/14, 17.10, Weather: Cloudy, 24°C

The first start had to be aborted when the pole sitter ran into trouble. That meant the field did an additional green flag lap, while the driver who was responsible was put to the back of the grid. Unfortunately Lucas believed that they meant him so he took up a position at the back as well. The second start went well, with the front runners proving lively. Stroll barged Russo to one side, but they both kept going, though Stroll was later handed a drive through penalty as a result. Alain was 4^th and was closing in on Drudi, and although Drudi drove very well, he had no defence against Alain. Alain swiftly overtook him at the end of the straight and immediately started to pull away. Once Stroll served his penalty the classification was as follows: Russo, Alain, Maisano. Maisano managed to get ahead and stayed ther until the final lap, but Alain achieved his best result so far claiming an excellent 2^nd place on the podium and collecting valuable points. Lucas, and Nico who had both started a long way back, fought their way forward lap by lap. A number of very good overtaking manoeuvres and some very fast laps meant that Lucas crossed the finish line in 11^th after a very exciting race, claiming the last point in the championship class. Nico finished in 15^th setting his personal best lap time in the closing stages of the race. Ali also finished the race without any mistakes and was classified 17^th.

The next race event for Formula 4 takes place in three week’s time, on the weekend of 3^rd August at Magione (I).

Championship standings

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship 2014 after 9 out of 21 races:
1^st Lance Stroll (CAN), 175 points; 2^nd Andrea Russo (I), 114 points; 3^rd Leonardo Pulcini (I), 93 points; 4^th Alain Valente (CH), 79 points; 5^th Mattia Drudi (I), 52 points; 6^th Takashi Kasai (JPN), 37 points; 12^th Lucas Mauron (CH), 16 points; 19^th Nico Rindlisbacher, 2 points

Italian F4 Trophy for drivers over 18 years:
1^st Brandon Maisono (F), 189 points; 2^nd Keith Camilleri (M), 91 points; 3^rd Ali Al Khalifa (BRN), 86 points

2014 FIA FORMULA 4 ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP - AGENDA

For more information:

• www.acisportitalia.it/F4/home/ing/4882/Two-days-in-Adria-Raceway-for-F.4-teams/2014
• <a href="http://www.italiaraci