Van Amersfoort Racing's Polish driver Alex Ruta has always been passionate about sport. As a child, however, before getting behind the wheel of a kart, his ambitions lay in a different direction.
"From a very young age, I played football. I was quite good and played for Barcelona's Academy. My father encouraged me to pursue that path, but when I turned eleven, I started trying something different. Like many others, I began with rental karting. Then I moved on to proper karting and fell in love with it."
From that moment on, his passion for motorsport grew alongside his results, including a victory in the ROK Championship in Poland.
"Winning in Poland is very difficult because there are many drivers who race exclusively there. I think we did a good job that season, managing to secure wins and pole positions. It was a great season, very competitive, and the team also did an excellent job."
The move to single-seaters marked a fresh start, bringing new technical challenges and a different approach to racing.
"It's definitely more fun. The cars are bigger, have more power, and you race on larger circuits.
I think the biggest differences compared to karting are the suspension and how you have to work on the setup. It's really interesting to move from something quite basic to a more complex dynamic. In a big team, you work with a lot of engineers, and the environment is very professional. I'm really enjoying my journey."
Adapting to a new championship, particularly one as competitive as the Italian F4 Championship, takes time and requires a driver to learn and find his place.
"The first year is definitely about learning as much as possible, especially as a rookie in Formula 4. The Italian F4 Championship is very difficult, but we achieved some good results in our rookie season, including rookie-class podiums and consistently fighting for the top 10. It was also a very positive year in terms of learning: you understand how the team works and how it develops and progresses throughout the season. In your second year, you're looking to show what you can do in terms of results. We've been very unlucky in the first half of this season and haven't been able to show our potential, but things are starting to change now."
Bad luck, in fact, can affect even a race weekend in which everything has been properly prepared.
"Vallelunga is one example. I think qualifying went really well: I was happy with my lap and came close to pole position in my group. Then we got caught up in a few incidents. That's what I mean when I talk about bad luck: you can do everything right, from free practice to qualifying, but sometimes things just don't go your way. At Imola, on the other hand, we managed to turn a difficult qualifying session into a good result. We fought at the front throughout the races, with overtaking and battles in every race. Things finally started going our way."
Away from the track, his priorities are clear.
"Definitely spending time with family and friends. In Formula 4, you spend a lot of time away from your home country, so catching up with them is really important. And then there's working to become the best athlete you can be."
More than any particular role model, what drives him to keep going is a feeling he has known since his early days behind the wheel.
"It's the great feeling you get after winning or taking pole position in karting. When you achieve a good result, you immediately start pushing even harder for the next one. It's an adrenaline rush you experience from a very young age and, in a way, you almost become addicted to that feeling."