Race Report

FIA FORMEL 4
ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 19/20/21

Circuit: Imola (I), Length: 4.909 km, 10^th/11^th/12^th October 2014
www.autodromoimola.com

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

Podium for Mauron in Imola

The seventh and last meeting in the Italian FIA Formula 4 Championship took place on the character-packed Imola circuit. 20 drivers were present, and they were very keen to take up the latest challenge. The races can be followed live on sporttube tv.

Qualifying

Friday, 10/10/14, 17.25 – 18.05, Weather: Sunny, 22°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.

Qualifying was held on Friday late in the afternoon. Our drivers wanted to look good in the last session of the season, but it didn’t really work out. Lucas put in the best performance claiming 12^th and 11^th places. Alain, who put in a very good performance here back in June wasn’t exactly satisfied with a 17^th and a 16^th place. Nico managed an 18^th and a 17^th, while Ali, who had caused a red flag with a spin, claimed a pair of 20^th places.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race One (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Saturday, 11/10/14, 11.50, Weather: Cloudy, 18°C

The start went well. Lucas managed to gain two places and was soon up in 10^th. Alain, Nico and Ali also improved their positions and were in 14^th, 15^th and 19^th respectively. Then Schwartzman and Baruch made mistakes and lost ground, meaning that Alain moved up the order and was now right behind Lucas in 11^th. When Vieira fell back Lucas moved up to 9th and Alain was 10^th. Alain started to put pressure on Lucas, and when Lucas outbraked himself Alain thought he could overtake. The two skidded and Alain ended up in the gravel, throwing away valuable championship points. Lucas was able to continue and finally crossed the finish line in an excellent 8^th place after a very strong race. Nico also drove very well and was 13^th for many laps. After battling with Matveev and Camilleri, he got into a spin which dropped him back to 15^th. He didn’t give up and recovered lost ground, finally finishing in a respectable 13^th. Ali fought with Haxhiu and Baruch for positions and after a frantic final lap Ali took the flag in 15^th. After the race Fielding was awarded a time penalty which moved him back to 10^th place – and thus gave him pole position for Race Two.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Two (18 minutes + 1 lap)

Saturday, 11/10/14, 17.10, Weather: Sunny, 26°C

The start went well despite several changes in position. Fontana managed to pass Lucas, which meant Lucas was in 5^th place from lap two onwards. After that Lucas drove like Swiss clockwork and made no mistakes. Raghunathan was given no opportunity to attack him, and Lucas drove a super race, coming home in 5^th place after a trouble free run. This gave him his first podium of the season and therefore naturally also his best result so far. Fielding and Maisano were in a different class, and therefore Lucas was on the podium in 3^rd behind Matveev and Fontana. Alain moved up to 11^th during the first lap but then got involved in a scrap with Sawada and Schwartzman. Sawada eventually dropped back, but Schwartzman was able to overtake him in the end. That meant Alain finished the race in 12^th. Nico was in 13^th and progressing well, but then the car began to vibrate badly so he came in to the pits. The team would investigate the problem after the race. Ali drove very well and held 15^th place for a long time, defending himself against Giudice. When Sawada dropped back he moved up into 14^th place, which was where he eventually finished.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Three (28 minutes + 1 lap))

Sunday, 12/10/14, 13.00, Weather: Cloudy, 25°C

The weather stayed dry and warm for the final race of the season. The start went well, but a few corners later Ali ran wide, went off track and ended up stuck in the gravel, putting an end to his race unfortunately. Lucas had a similar experience and went off, but managed to get out of the gravel trap eventually and rejoined the race. Alain was 10^th and was battling with Baruch when he launched an attack which didn’t work out. He spun off and also ended up stranded in the gravel trap, again losing the chance of a possible top ten result. Baruch was able to continue unperturbed. The team had found the reason for the vibration in Nico’s car, and he was able to get a good start once again. He also managed to stay out of the gravel despite a spin shortly after the start. Nico was our only driver to complete the full race distance and he crossed the finish line in 14^th. Lucas, who had lost a few laps with his off track experience, also managed to set with his own personal best lap time of the whole weekend and brought the car round to the finish where he was classified 15^th.

That means the inaugural season of the FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship is now history. The champion was already crowned ahead of this meeting: Lance Stroll (CAN). Now the other final positions are known: 2^nd place to Mattia Drudi (I) and 3^rd place to Andrea Russo (I).

Championship Final Standings

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship 2014 after 21 races:
1^st Lance Stroll (CAN), 331 points; 2^nd Mattia Drudi (I), 237 points; 3^rd Andrea Russo (I), 200 points; 4^th Leonardo Pulcini (I) 187 points; 5^th Alain Valente (CH), 159 points; 6^th Andrea Fontana (I), 116 points; 10^th Lucas Mauron (CH), 49 points; 21^st Nico Rindlisbacher, 4 points

Italian F4 Trophy for drivers over 18 years:
1^st Brandon Maisono (F), 406 points; 2^nd Ali Al Khalifa (BRN), 230 points; 3^rd Keith Camilleri (M), 177 points; 4^th Sennan Fielding (GB), 69 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
• www.italiaracing.net