The day representing the prelude to the ACI Racing Weekend at Vallelunga has concluded, setting the stage for the final event of the Italian F.4 Championship and several other Italian championships, taking place this weekend from October 13 to 15. Thursday was dedicated to a long pre-event collective testing session for the drivers of the Tatuus single-seaters in the series promoted by ACI Sport and WSK Promotion. Over 30 drivers took part in the 4-hour track session, gearing up for the thrilling finale of the 2023 season starting tomorrow. This weekend will determine the 10th Champion of the series, which began in 2014, the inaugural season that saw Lance Stroll crowned.

At Vallelunga Circuit, the title fight involves three contenders, with Kacper Sztuka of US Racing leading the standings by just 1.5 points ahead of Arvid Lindblad of Prema Racing. The last contender vying for the Italian Champion title is Ugo Ugochukwu, also from Prema Racing, trailing the leader by 18 points.

Polish driver Sztuka, winner of 6 consecutive races, dominated the last 2 rounds of the Championship, maintaining his pace until the end, showcasing his impressive speed from the start of the testing session today. He set the best time of the day, stopping the clock at 1’33.920. Second place went to American junior McLaren driver Ugo Ugochukwu, who recorded a gap of 0.191. Third, with just a thousandth of a margin from the second (+0.192 from Sztuka), was the speedy Italian driver from Van Amersfoort Racing, Brando Badoer.

Fourth in the collective tests was Maltese-Filipino driver Zachary David of US Racing, finishing his best lap at 0.204. Fifth best time was recorded by Jamaican rookie Alex Powell, racing for Prema Racing and a young talent from the Mercedes academy, with a gap of 0.299. Sixth was Brazilian driver Matheus Ferreira of Van Amersfoort Racing, wearing the colors of the Alpine Academy, with a gap of 0.336. Seventh in the session was Finnish driver Tuukka Taponen, Ferrari Driver Academy of Prema Racing, trailing Sztuka by 0.384. Following in eighth position was New Yorkese-Singaporean driver Akshay Bohra, racing for Team US Racing, with a gap of 0.393. Ninth place went to Freddie Slater, young British talent from Van Amersfoort Racing, with a gap of 0.452. Rounding out the Top 10, in the first track session serving as a prelude to an intense weekend that will decide the fate of the 2023 season, was Australian driver Gianmarco Pradel from US Racing, with a gap of 0.470 from the leader. Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad was fourteenth, lapping at 0.576 behind his rival today. The Londoner, already crowned Rookie Champion at Mugello, made the most of the first opportunity offered by the ACI Racing Weekend at Vallelunga to work on the weekend's setup, with the clear goal of reclaiming the top spot in the standings and finishing the job.

 

Tomorrow, Friday, October 13, the action returns to the track with free practice sessions, from 8:30 to 9:10, and then again from 12:20 to 13, before moving on to the qualifying sessions, the first crucial step of the weekend. Qualifying 1 will start from 16:10 to 16:25, followed by a second session from 16:35 to 16:50.

Saturday, October 14, the excitement kicks off with the first race of the weekend starting at 11, lasting 30' + 1 lap. Also on Saturday, Race 2 starts at 16:45 (30' + 1 lap). Finally, on Sunday, October 15, a winner will be crowned, with the Italian F.4 Championship 2023 being resolved only after Race 3, starting at 11 (30' + 1 lap).

The three 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/); with Italian commentary on ACI Sport TV (Sky channel 228 and 52 TV Sat), on www.acisport.it, and on the Facebook page @acisporttv.

 

Free tickets for access to the event are available after registration on the official circuit website: https://ticket.vallelunga.it/en/arw-settembre2023/individual-registration