The first race of the Italian F.4 Championship at Mugello Circuit has concluded. Kacper Sztuka, representing US Racing, achieved a triumphant victory, flying from pole position to his fourth consecutive win, thanks to a flawless start and a subsequent restart that sealed his victory. During the restart, following the intervention of the safety car due to the stop of Matteo Quintarelli (R-ace GP), who was involved in an accident, and Giacomo Pedrini (PHM Racing), Ugo Ugochukwu and Arvid Lindblad of PREMA Racing moved ahead. With Ugochukwu in second place, Londoner Lindblad initially crossed the finish line in third. However, Lindblad was later pushed back due to a 10-second penalty for a jump start, ultimately finishing Race 1 in P5. Gianmarco Pradel paid the highest price during the restart. The Australian from US Racing had moved into second place with an excellent start, capitalizing on the difficulties faced by Tuukka Taponen (PREMA Racing), who had briefly stalled on the second grid block. Pradel eventually inherited the third step of the podium from Lindblad, simultaneously securing the Rookie victory. In the category dedicated to emerging drivers, Emirati driver Rashid Al Dhaheri of Prema Racing claimed the second spot on the podium with an overall fourth place finish. Lindblad finished in P5, completing the Rookie podium.

New York-based driver Akshay Bohra, representing US Racing, closed the first race in Tuscany of the Italian F.4 Championship in sixth place. Italian driver Brando Badoer of Van Amersfoort Racing claimed P7 after an exhilarating battle with James Wharton, who attempted several times to pass him. Badoer's defense was outstanding, forcing the Australian from PREMA Racing to settle for the eighth position. Freddie Slater, making his debut in the Italian F.4 Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing, finished the first race in ninth place. Tuukka Taponen, after skillfully climbing back up the ranks following initial issues and crossing the finish line in tenth place, slipped out of the points zone due to a 10-second penalty for a jump start. Portuguese driver Ivan Domingues of Van Amersfoort Racing rounded off the Top 10 in Race 1.

The race was rich in emotions and certainly not easy to manage, witnessing intense battles even in the middle of the pack. Securing the nineteenth position overall, Swiss driver Tina Hausmann of AKM Motorsport emerged victorious from the female battle, claiming the top spot on the podium ahead of Aurelia Nobels of PREMA and Victoria Blokhina of PHM Racing.

 

The action resumes tomorrow, Sunday, October 1st, with race 2 at 9:55 (30 minutes + 1 lap), followed by the final race of the weekend, race 3, at 16:50 (30 minutes + 1 lap).

The weekend races will be broadcast live with English commentary on the Euro 4 Championship's YouTube and Facebook pages and on Motorsport TV (https://eu.motorsport.tv/); Italian commentary will be available on ACI Sport TV (Sky channel 228), on www.acisport.it, and on the Facebook page @acisporttv.

Tickets for Sunday are available on TicketOne at the following link: https://www.ticketone.it/artist/aci-racing-weekend

Kacper Sztuka: “I’m really happy to win again. Qualifying was already very good, 3 poles. We knew the pace is really good, and we had just to keep it on the race, from start to finish leading. It’s great to be here.” 

Ugo Ugochukwu: "I started in third position, and during the restart, I managed to move into second place. From there, we knew it would be challenging to beat Sztuka; we knew he was very strong this weekend. I managed to stay there throughout the race, tried to push as much as possible. I gave it my all, but we still need to find a little more tomorrow to fight for the victory."