The Italian F.4 Championship, the single-seater series promoted by ACI Sport and WSK Promotion that has earned a central role on the international stage of equivalent formula championships, is set to return to action for the second of seven rounds this season. From May 23 to 25, the spotlight will shift to the Autodromo Piero Taruffi in Vallelunga, the main hub of motorsport near the Italian capital, located in Campagnano di Roma.
40 drivers set to start, fielded by 12 different teams, in a grid that once again features strong international representation, with 27 national flags present at the event.
Given the size of the field, the weekend will once again adopt a special format featuring four races. Drivers will be divided into two series, Series 1 and Series 2, starting from free practice. This split will also be maintained for qualifying. Based on the qualifying results, drivers will be re-grouped into three groups, A, B and C. This will lead to three qualifying races: Race 1 with groups B and C, Race 2 with groups A and B, Race 3 with groups A and C. The top 36 drivers based on the combined results of these races will then move on to the Final. All races throughout the weekend will award championship points.
All contenders expected at Vallelunga have already taken part in the season opener, where Prema Racing’s young American talent Sebastian Wheldon won the first race of the year. From Race 2 onward, the spotlight shifted to his teammate Kean Nakamura-Berta, who dominated his group debut by claiming three wins out of three and scoring the maximum 75 points, placing himself at the top of the drivers’ standings. Wheldon delivered a consistent performance throughout the weekend and currently sits second in the standings, 22 points behind. In third place is Van Amersfoort Racing’s Maksimilian Popov, who had an excellent outing at Misano with two second-place finishes and a fourth place.
Other drivers who stood out on the opening weekend include Prema Racing’s Salim Hanna, currently the Rookie leader and fourth overall, along with Emanuele Olivieri and Gabriel Gomez. The Italian driver for R-ace GP, already a winner this year in the F4 Middle East and at the 2023 Supercorso of the ACI Sport Federal School, is currently fifth in the standings. US Racing’s Gabriel Gomez sits seventh, just behind Prema Racing’s Latvian driver Tomass Stolcermanis.
At Vallelunga, the battle for the Italian title will ignite once more in a weekend full of anticipation and excitement.
The schedule
The weekend will get underway on Thursday, May 22, with an extended collective test session from 14:00 to 18:00.
On Friday, May 23, the day will start with free practice: Series 1 will be on track from 08:30 to 09:00, followed by Series 2 from 09:10 to 09:40. The afternoon will feature another round, with Series 1 from 13:10 to 13:40 and Series 2 from 13:50 to 14:20. Qualifying sessions will take place in the evening: Series 1 from 18:10 to 18:30, and Series 2 from 18:40 to 19:00.
On Saturday, May 24, Race 1 featuring groups B and C will start at 12:10, followed by Race 2, with groups A and B, at 18:00.
On Sunday, May 25, Race 3 with groups A and C will begin at 09:00, while the Final, the closing act of the weekend, will take place at 15:30. All races will last 25 minutes plus one lap.
All races will be broadcast live with Italian commentary on ACI Sport TV (channel 228 on Sky and 52 on Tivùsat), streamed on www.acisport.tv, and on the ACI Sport TV Facebook and YouTube pages.
Live streaming in English will be available on the official social media channels of the Italian F4 Championship, as well as through the series’ international broadcast partners.
For those who want to experience the event in person, access to the paddock and grandstands will be free of charge upon registration at the following link:
https://ticket.vallelunga.it/it/racing/arwmaggio25