The Italian driver then had to defend against Sebastian Wheldon of Prema Racing, who eventually got past after several duels. Showing determination, Olivieri still managed to secure fifth place, ahead of Finnish driver Luka Sammalisto of US Racing, a key protagonist in the midfield battles. Seventh overall and first among the Rookies was Chinese driver Newman Chi of Prema Racing, followed by teammates Salim Hanna and Andrea Charles Dupe, who completed the rookie podium. Closing the top 10 was Polish driver Aleksandr Ruta of Van Amersfoort Racing. In the women’s classification, victory went to Emily Cotty of R-ace GP, who finished eleventh overall, just short of the top 10. Joining her on the female podium were Mathilda Paatz of Mathilda Racing by AS Motorsport, Payton Westcott with Van Amersfoort Racing, and, in fourth, Kornelia Olkucka of Maffi Racing.
With the results of Race 2, Prema Racing mathematically sealed the Italian F.
4 Championship teams’ title. For the Grisignano di Zocco-based outfit, this is their ninth crown in the series.
Gabriel Gomez: “We had great pace all weekend, and we already showed it in qualifying, very close to pole. Unfortunately yesterday I made a mistake going for too risky a start and I stalled, it wasn’t the ideal way to begin. Today we showed our potential again. Starting behind the safety car is always tricky, and the first lap was complicated, but already by lap two or three I was catching Olivieri. When he went slightly wide I took the opportunity to grab the lead. From there it was a long race without neutralizations until the end, with Kean always close and very fast. I’m happy to bounce back after yesterday’s mistake. The team deserves this result for all the hard work. I want to thank everyone, we’ll keep pushing for the next race.”
Kean Nakamura-Berta: “Overtaking here is always very difficult, and we knew that. The safety car was a bit unlucky, because we had very strong pace and I was able to stay within a second of Gomez for the whole race. With the dirty air it’s hard to stay close, but the team gave me an excellent car and I think we managed the race really well.”
Maksimilian Popov: “Today the pace was really strong. Yesterday we finished outside the points, so we were very motivated to bounce back, and we did. I’m thankful to the team, the package was fantastic. It’s a pity the race ended behind the safety car, maybe I could have fought for more, but it’s still a very good result.”
Newman Chi: “Honestly, there wasn’t much more I could do. Barcelona is a tough track with high tyre degradation, and overtaking is difficult. The only pass I managed was on my teammate, and that was probably the only real opportunity. Overall, I’m quite satisfied with the result.”
Emily Cotty: “The conditions at the start weren’t easy, with the rain falling, but we had strong pace throughout the race. I managed the tyres better than in Race 1, so by the end I was catching the cars in front and had a chance for a rookie podium. Then the safety car came out and I finished eleventh. We’re aiming for the top 10 in the next race, we’ve got the pace to get there.”
Only Race 3 remains to close the sixth round of the Italian F.4 Championship, scheduled for today at 17:50. As with the previous ones, it will last 30 minutes plus one lap and will be streamed live on ACI Sport’s social media channels, with English commentary also available on the Italian F.4 Championship Facebook and YouTube pages. In Italy, TV coverage will be provided by ACI Sport TV (channel 228 Sky, 52 Tivùsat and live.acisport.tv), with Sunday’s races shown on delay: Race 2 at 20:00 and Race 3 at 23:30. English-language coverage will also be broadcast through the international network following the championship.