The third of seven rounds in the Italian F.4 Championship season unfolded at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. 40 Tatuus cars on Pirelli tires, fielded by 12 different teams and driven by young talents from around the world, lined up at the iconic Temple of Speed in Brianza, the century-old circuit whose history is inseparably linked with open-wheel racing. This third round was pivotal in shaping the season’s dynamics, and marked the first event of the year to adopt the three-race format, with all drivers competing simultaneously rather than being split into groups as seen earlier in the year.
Despite the intense on-track action, the top of the overall standings remained unchanged. Prema Racing’s Kean Nakamura-Berta and Sebastian Wheldon retained first and second place respectively, still separated by 29 points. Both drivers collected 40 points over the weekend: Nakamura-Berta finished third in Race 1 and took victory in Race 2, while Wheldon won Race 1 and claimed third place in the second heat. Neither scored points in Race 3, however, due to a crash at the first chichane, as they battled for second place behind teammate Newman Chi during a last-lap restart following a Safety Car intervention.
Gabriel Gomez, the Brazilian from US Racing and winner of the final race at Vallelunga, continued his comeback. At Monza, he confirmed his strong form with two second-place finishes in the weekend’s opening races, despite a tricky qualifying that had relegated to tenth spot of the grid for Race 2. However, he too was forced to stop in the final race of the weekend.
Behind the leading trio, the battle for fourth and fifth currently sees a tie at 82 points between Colombia’s Salim Hanna (Prema Racing) and Italian driver Emanuele Olivieri (R-ace GP). Hanna holds the edge for now thanks to better finishing positions so far.
Hanna also leads the Rookie standings with authority, sitting at 160 points thanks to six wins and one fourth-place finish. Behind him are Marcus Saeter (Van Amersfoort Racing) with 132 points and Artem Severiukhin (Jenzer Motorsport) with 121.
In the Women’s Trophy, Britain’s Emily Cotty (R-ace GP) maintains her lead with 183 points, while Payton Westcott (Van Amersfoort Racing) closes the gap with two victories at Monza, bringing her total to 144. Poland’s Kornelia Olkucka (Maffi Racing) holds third place with 109 points.
In the team standings, Prema Racing holds a commanding lead with 395 points, well ahead of US Racing in second with 200. Still, the championship remains wide open: up to 516 points (more in case of a fourth race) are still available before the final verdict.
The next round of the Italian F.4 Championship is scheduled at Mugello from July 11 to 13. That same month will also see the launch of the E4 Championship, the parallel series promoted by ACI Sport and WSK Promotion. The first of three rounds will take place at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet from July 18 to 20.