40 drivers, of 25 different nationalities, take to the track for the 5th round of the FIA certified Italian F.4 Championship at Red Bull Ring. Among the new entries in the ACI Sport single-seater series promoted by WSK Promotion is the American Ugo Ugochukwu, who, after the excellent results in the British series, makes his debut in the competitive Italian Formula 4 with PREMA Racing. Also debuting are, in the Dutch Van Amersfoort Racing team, the British driver Arvid Lindblad  and in the German US Racing team the American driver David Zachary. The Red Bull Ring is also the first time of the freshly 15-year-old Nicola Lacorte, Iron Lynx, who will race, having already tested on the track on several occasions this year, carrying the Cetilar Racing insignia. More new entries then with Maffi Racing that doubles the effort and lines up the Argentine Francisco Soldavini Nores alongside the Swiss Elia Sperandio. Another change from the last round is  Alfio Andrea Spina’s team. The Sicilian driver in Austria will race with BVM Motorsport, alongside the Norwegian driver William Karlsson and the Korean driver Kim Hwarang.

 

Compared to round 4, before the break, an important change on the track is also represented by the weather. The first session of collective tests, held on Thursday to make room for the weekend's 4-race program, was hit by pouring rain which caused some difficulties for the drivers. The session is in fact interrupted by 2 red flags, both imposed for drivers stucked in the gravel, the second of which exposed less than 2 minutes from the end, puts an end to the session.

 

 

The fastest lap is set by Andrea Kimi Antonelli (1: 45.323), PREMA Racing driver and current leader of the drivers’ rankings, who gets the best chronometric output on the penultimate of the 15 laps completed. Second at +0.158 is the Pole of US Racing, Kacper Sztuka, then Taylor Barnard, British PHM Racing driver, who follows at +0.222 from the session leader. The drivers to keep within the second gap are Alexander Dunne, US Racing, with +0.392; Anthony James Wharton, PREMA Racing, at +0.744; the new arrival of the team from Vicenza, Ugochukwu, at +0.785; Nikhil Bohra for US Racing, with +0.859; Rafael Camara, PREMA Racing, first among Antonelli's pursuers in the drivers' standings, follows him in the session with the eighth best time at +0.927; then Maya Weug, Belgian-Spanish-Dutch Iron Dames driver, with +0.962.

 

Still on track in the evening at 17.10 for a second 40 'collective test session. On Friday 9 September the two 20 'qualifying sessions start at 14.15 and 14.43. Saturday 10 September race 1 (25 '+ 1 lap) starts at 9.10, followed by race 2 at 14.45. Sunday 11 September race 3 at 10.35 and race 4 at the start at 17.25.

All the race sessions will be broadcast live on the Italian F.4 Championship Facebook and Youtube channels and on Motorsport.com.