Race Report
FIA FORMULA 4
ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 10/11/12
Circuit: Monza (I), Length 5.793 km, 23rd – 25th June 2023
www.monzanet.it
JENZER MOTORSPORT 2023:
Ethan Ischer (CH), Ariel Elkin (ISR), Finn Wiebelhaus (DE)
Elkin close to top ten in Monza
The fourth round of the FIA F4 Italian Championship took place at the “Temple of Speed” in Monza. Finn Wiebelhaus replaced Hwarang Kim for this round in our team. With 33 cars on the grid expectations were high.
Qualifying
Friday, 23/06/23, 16.45 – 17.25, Weather: Sunny, 33°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 | Brando Badoer (I) | Van Amersfoort | 1:52.962 |
| 2nd | Kacper Sztuka (POL) | US | 1:53.176 |
| 3rd | Arvid Lindblad (GBR) | Prema | 1:53.279 |
| 13th | Ariel Elkin (ISR) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:53.840 |
| 24th | Ethan Ischer (CH) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:54.498 |
| 26th | Finn Wiebelhaus (DE) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:54.560 |
| Results Qualifying 2 & Grid for Race Two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Arvid Lindblad (GBR) | Prema | 1:52.522 |
| 2nd | Brando Badoer (I) | Van Amersfoort | 1:52.587 |
| 3rd | Kacper Sztuka (POL) | US | 1:52.613 |
| 14th | Ariel Elkin (ISR) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:53.294 |
| 25th | Ethan Ischer (CH) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:53.743 |
| 27th | Finn Wiebelhaus (DE) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:53.931 |
| Grid for Race Three | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Arvid Lindblad (GBR) | Prema | 1:52.751 |
| 2nd | Brando Badoer (I) | Van Amersfoort | 1:52.756 |
| 3rd | Kacper Sztuka (POL) | US | 1:52.816 |
| 19th | Ariel Elkin (ISR) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:53.628 |
| 25th | Ethan Ischer (CH) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:53.813 |
| 28th | Finn Wiebelhaus (DE) | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:54.227 |
FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship
Race One (30 minutes + 1 lap)
Saturday, 24/06/23, 13.20, Weather: Sunny, 35°C
On Saturday noon, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees, the lights went out for the first race of the weekend. The big field made it through the first corners safely and the battle for positions begun. From 13th place on the grid, Ariel was already one spot up by the end of the opening laps. Ethan and Finn were immediately in the battle in 23rd and 25th place respectively. Working his way up, Ethan quickly moved to 20th place and started a fine battle with Kluss for 19th position. They changed position more than once, with Ethan finishing in front in the end. Nose to gearbox, the battle was close throughout the field. A safety car had to be deployed with 6 minutes to go and the race was briefly neutralized. When the race resumed, our drivers were able to stay out of trouble. Ariel crossed the finish line in 15th position, followed by Ethan who took advantage of the restart to take 17th place. Finn took 21st place in his first race with our team. After the race some penalties were handed out and because of this our drivers moved more to the front.
| Race One Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Arvid Lindblad (GB) | Prema | 32:34.594 | |
| 2nd | Brando Badoer (I) | Van Amersfoort | Gap | 0.342 |
| 3rd | Tuuka Taponen (FIN) | Prema | Gap | 1.472 |
| 13th | Ariel Elkin (ISR) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| 15th | Ethan Ischer (CH) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| 19th | Finn Weibelhaus (DE) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| Fastest lap: Ugo Ugochukwu (USA) in 1:52.863 | ||||
FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship
Race Two (30 minutes + 1 lap)
Sunday, 25/06/23, 08.40, Weather: Sunny, 24°C
The second race of the weekend got underway early on Sunday morning. When the lights went out, our drivers were ready to show their best performance. The big field immediately battled its way through the first corners and by the end of the opening laps Ariel was in 15th place, with Ethan in 24th and Finn in 26th. A Safety Car had to be deployed in the early stages of the race, with 22 minutes still to go. As green was shown, our drivers took advantage of the restart to make some moves and climb up the order. Ariel was now in 14th place, Ethan was catching up with a group and was up in 18th place and Finn was running in 23rd position. Lap after lap, Ethan made great moves forward and soon joined Ariel in the battle for 13th place. Our drivers kept it clean in the final stages and when the checkered flag waved, Ariel took a great 12th position. Ethan crossed the line in a positive 14th place with 11 positions recovered and Finn finished the race in a good 19th position.
| Race Two Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Arvid Lindblad (GB) | Prema | 32:51.330 | |
| 2nd | Kacper Sztuka (POL) | US | Gap | 0.442 |
| 3rd | Ugo Ugochukwu (USA) | Prema | Gap | 0.819 |
| 12th | Ariel Elkin (ISR) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| 14th | Ethan Ischer (CH) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| 19th | Finn Wiebelhaus (DE) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| Fastest lap: Ugo Ugochukwu (USA) in 1:52.949 | ||||
FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship
Race Three (30 minutes + 1 lap)
Sunday, 25/06/23, 14.20, Weather: Sunny, 31°C
Race 3 got underway in the afternoon heat. From 19th place on the grid, Ariel was ready for the final battle of the weekend. When the lights went out, the Israeli driver got off well and immediately moved up to 17th place by the end of the opening stages. Behind him, Ethan and Finn also got away well and moved up to 22nd and 26th place respectively. Ariel was on a mission and quickly made his way up to 13th position. The Israeli rookie made a move on Kluss to snatch 12th position and was ready for more. Unfortunately, disaster happened as with 10 minutes to go and points still at stake, a contact with Spina left him with a puncture. Ariel had to drive back to the pits and retire his car. Such a shame! In the meanwhile, Ethan was also on the charge and ready to fight. The Swiss driver fought his way up to 16th place. Move after move, Ethan left the best for the final laps as he crossed the finish line in a brilliant 13th position after a hard fought race. Further in the field, Finn was also fighting for positions. When the checkered flag waved, the German driver took a positive 23rd place.
| Race Three Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Arvid Lindblad (GB) | Prema | 32:20.620 | |
| 2nd | Kacper Sztuka (POL) | US | Gap | 3.067 |
| 3rd | Akshay Bohra (SGP) | US | Gap | 4.663 |
| 13th | Ethan Ischer (CH) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| 23rd | Finn Weibelhaus (DE) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| DNF: | Ariel Elkin (ISR) | Jenzer Motorsport | ||
| Fastest lap: Arvid Lindblad (GB) in 1:53.184 | ||||
Ethan Ischer (CH)
Ariel Elkin (ISR)
Finn Weibelhaus (DE)
© Photo Pellegrini
Championship Standings
FIA F4 Italian Championship 2023 after 12 races:
1st Arvid Lindblad (SWE), 221.5 points; 2nd Ugo Ugochukwu (USA), 141 points; 3rd James Wharton (AUS), 123.5 points; 4th Kacper Sztuka (POL), 108 points; 5th Brando Badoer (ITA), 104 points; 6th Zachary David (PHL), 104 points; 21st Ariel Elkin, 2.5 points
Rookie-Wertung:
1st Arvid Lindblad (SWE), 241.5 points; 2nd Zachary David (PHL), 158.5 points; 3rd Nicola Lacorte (IT), 143 points; 10th Ariel Elkin (ISR), 36 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:
