Freddie Slater soars to victory in Race 1 at Misano
The Italian F.4 Championship 2024 kicked off the season with Race 1 this morning at the Misano World Circuit, opening the ACI Racing Weekend’s first race day. Starting from pole position was the lightning-fast British driver from Prema Racing, Freddie Slater, who soared to an uncontested victory. His excellent pace allowed him to build a comfortable gap and manage the race, always with an eye on tire management for the additional 2 races of the weekend, where he will once again attempt the feat from pole. No problems for him, even on the restart from the Safety Car, deployed for an incident involving several cars, leading to the definitive retirement of Kai Daryanani (CRAM Motorsport) and Nathaniel Berreby (Maffi Racing). Second place in Race 1 went to Mercedes junior Alex Powell, the American driver for Prema Racing, who also drove a flawless race, pulling away from the chasing group and closing the gap to his teammate at the front, although not enough to attempt an attack in the final stages. Powell also secured the top step of the Rookie podium. Third place went to Gianmarco Pradel, the fast Australian from US Racing, who was rewarded today for an excellent performance in the first qualifying session, and maintained his position throughout the race with a perfect interpretation of the Misano World Circuit.
Finishing fourth was Akshay Bohra, for Team US Racing. The American driver did well to keep the door closed in the early stages of the race, defending his position from the assaults of Japanese driver from Van Amersfoort Racing, Yamakoshi. Fifth was another US Racing driver, Australian Jack Beeton, who capitalized on the intense battle for the top positions and added valuable points to Gerhard Ungar and Ralf Schumacher's Team. Sixth was Yamakoshi, followed by Chinese driver Enzo Yeh, representing R-ace GP. Rounding out the Top 10 were 3 Prema drivers: Japanese Kean Nakamura Berta, Latvian Tomass Stolcermanis, and Emirati Rashid Al Dhaheri. Particularly engaging was the battle for points, which saw several shifts in balance throughout the race, especially with the three Prema drivers engaging in an exciting three-way battle even in the final laps.
Among the most thrilling battles on the track, mention must also be made of the duels between Swiss driver Ethan Ischer of Jenzer Motorsport and Brazilian Matheus Ferreira, Alpine Academy driver for US Racing; as well as the head-to-head between Dutch driver Lin Hodenius of Van Amersfoort Racing and Finnish driver Luka Sammalisto of R-ace GP, which contributed to enlivening the spectacle even within the pack.
Freddie Slater: "The goal was to secure three pole positions, and we managed to do that. A perfectly executed strategy in qualifying, and then a perfect start. The restart after the safety car was also good. We paid attention to the tires, making sure they were in good condition for Race 2 and Race 3. I'm trying to give myself the best possible chance in Race 2 and Race 3."
Alex Powell: "So far, it's been a fairly clean weekend. It's been a good weekend for me, really for the entire team. Starting from the front row for the next two races, I already have an idea of what the first race is like from the front row, and it seems that you really have to capitalize on the first two laps because afterward, it becomes more or less a stalemate. It's really difficult to overtake here, so it all comes down to the first one or two laps. For the next races, I'll focus a bit more on that, but overall, it's been a good weekend so far. I'm just trying to build on that and start the championship in a positive way."
Gianmarco Pradel: "It was a good race. It was all about getting away cleanly and maintaining position throughout the race. A good result to start the season, starting off on the right foot. [In the next 2 races] we start a bit further back. It's going to be a bit of damage limitation, but I'm really looking forward to pushing and trying to fight through the pack. It's difficult to overtake here, but I'll do my best."