The first race of the weekend unfolded at the Misano World Circuit. Victory went to pole-sitter Sebastian Wheldon, who brought the colors of Prema Racing and the Andretti Junior Program to the top step of the podium. The American driver showed no hesitation from pole position, maintaining control at the front throughout and crossing the finish line with a gap of over 3.5 seconds.
Starting from fifth, Kean Nakamura-Berta worked his way up lap after lap with a series of decisive overtakes that earned him second place. Celebrations are now postponed for the Japanese-Slovak driver of Prema Racing, who would have needed a win to seal the title in Race 1 and is now just one point away from mathematical confirmation.
On the third step of the podium, Maksimilian Popov had gained second position already in the early stages thanks to an excellent start, but later had to defend himself until the very end, involved in heated battles first with Nakamura-Berta and then with the very fast Luka Sammalisto. The Finnish driver from US Racing finished fourth, just shy of the podium, after attempting one last attack in the final laps.
Fifth place and Rookie win for Salim Hanna, first among Group C drivers and starting from the front row. The Colombian from Prema Racing struggled off the line due to a clutch issue that compromised his start and caused him to lose positions. He managed the situation well, limiting the damage and collecting full points in his class, where he currently leads the standings.
Behind him came his direct Rookie rivals: Oleksandr Bondarev (Prema Racing) in sixth and Dante Vinci (Van Amersfoort Racing) in seventh. The Ukrainian driver from the Williams Driver Academy pulled off a spectacular high-speed overtake on Kirill Kutskov (Maffi Racing), who then also had to concede position to the Australian Vinci. Kutskov finished eighth, followed by the Polish driver Aleksander Ruta (Van Amersfoort Racing) in ninth, and the Argentine Teo Schropp (Jenzer Motorsport) completing the top 10.
Just outside the points, David Cosma-Cristofor of PHM Racing animated the first half of the race with several battles within the top 10.
In the Female Trophy, Race 1 victory went to Mathilda Paatz of Mathilda Racing by AS Motorsport, finishing 20th overall, ahead of her direct rivals Emily Cotty (R-ace GP) and Payton Westcott (Van Amersfoort Racing).
Sebastian Wheldon: “It was pretty good. Just managed the gap the whole race and I got a pretty good start. There was a bit of chaos on the first lap, first corner, but I managed the race well, and I was able to come away with the win. I won’t be on pole for the next race, so it’ll be a bit more difficult, but let’s see how the race turns out, and how the rest of the week can go.”
Kean Nakamura-Berta: ”we are mathematically one point away. Yesterday we had a bit of a technical issue, the qualifying was a bit disappointing. It was good going into today with our pace back. It was one of my most fun races this year. We did a few good moves. It was amazing. In Race 2 later we need just one point, but I’ll try to go forward. I know the podium is there, pace is there. Big thanks to Prema, it’s been a really good season. I just like to close off nicely, I can’t wait for the next race.”
Maksimilian Popov: “I had a good start, but absolutely no pace after. We need to investigate what we can change and improve. It was very difficult to hold on to it, but I managed to. It’s not a bad result. Thanks to the team and everyone, let’s hope for a better race next!”
Salim Hanna: “The start wasn’t good. Already from the start on the formation lap,I felt the clutch was not good, so I knew it was not going to be easy, I struggled in the start. I felt no grip for the whole laps, a lot of locking everywhere. Overall we had no pace, it was hard to be consistent. We can do it, but we need to put it together for the next races.”
The program now continues with Race 2 (Groups A and B) at 1:20 PM, where the title fight between Kean Nakamura-Berta and Gabriel Gomez (US Racing) could already be decided. Then at 5:00 PM, it will be time for Race 3 (Groups A and C).
On Sunday, October 12, the final race will take place, featuring the top 36 drivers from the group races, starting at 11:00 AM, followed by the Imola recovery race at 4:00 PM.
All races will last 25 minutes plus one lap and will be broadcast live in Italian on ACI Sport TV (channel 228 on Sky and via streaming at live.acisport.tv).
The English-language live stream will be available on the championship’s social media pages and through the international broadcasters of the Italian F.4 Championship network.