At the ACI Racing Weekend in Monza, the first of the 3 races in the final round of the Euro 4 Championship took place. A thrilling 30 minutes plus one lap of action, it was one of the most exciting races of the year. Mercedes junior driver from Prema Racing, Alex Powell, clinched his first F4 victory. The U.S.-Jamaican driver, who has lived in Monza for several years, celebrated his maiden win right in his adopted city. Akshay Bohra, the U.S.-Indian driver from US Racing, took second place after intense on-track battles—first with his teammate Jack Beeton and later with Powell in the closing stages, with the two trading overtakes. This second-place finish brings Bohra closer to Slater in the Championship battle. Freddie Slater's car spun while the British driver was fighting for top positions in Race 1, but the Prema Racing driver skillfully recovered from the back of the field to finish in the points. Prema Racing's Tomass Stolcermanis took third after an outstanding performance, climbing up from 14th on the grid in one of the season's most lively and exciting races. The Latvian driver gained the final two positions on the last lap, overtaking Beeton and Yamakoshi on the outside, after a brilliant slipstream strategy.
Jack Beeton finished fourth at the checkered flag in Race 1. The Australian driver for US Racing had taken P1 from teammate Maxim Rehm during a restart following a Safety Car deployed on the first lap. However, a five-second penalty for cutting the track dropped him to 10th. Beeton also had a wheel-to-wheel collision with fellow Australian Gianmarco Pradel early in the race, sending Pradel's car airborne at the first chicane and forcing him to retire. Shortly afterwards, a three-car incident involving Edward Robinson (US Racing), Reno Francot (Jenzer Motorsport), and Luka Sammalisto (R-ace GP) occurred, necessitating the race's neutralization.
Fourth at the finish line was Prema Racing’s Indian driver Dion Gowda, who was involved in a three-way battle with Powell and Rehm. Rehm had a tough time in this duel, ultimately ending up in the gravel. Due to this incident, Gowda was handed two penalties, each worth five seconds, which pushed him out of the points. Other post-race penalties were also given: Hiyu Yamakoshi from Van Amersfoort Racing received a five-second penalty after a tough battle with Enzo Yeh, which cost the R-ace GP driver several positions. Emanuele Olivieri of AKM Motorsport received a drive-through penalty, converted to a 25-second time penalty, for an incident with Davide Larini. Larini, the Italian driver for PHM AIX Racing, had been performing exceptionally well at Monza but retired following the collision. R-ace GP’s Enzo Yeh was also penalized with 5 seconds for cutting out of the track gaining advantage. A five-second penalty was also given to American driver Everett Stack, from PHM AIX Racing, who initially finished 16th, for overtaking Aurelia Nobels outside track limits.
The Race 1 standings, with penalties applied, see Alpine Academy driver for Prema Racing, Kean Nakamura Berta, in fourth place. Promoted to fifth, Freddie Slater has retained the Championship lead with 104 points, 8 ahead of Akshay Bohra. Sixth place went to Andrija Kostic from Van Amersfoort Racing, followed by Swiss driver Ethan Ischer of Jenzer Motorsport. Eighth place was taken by Alpine Academy driver for US Racing, Kabir Anurag, followed by Van Amersfoort Racing's Swedish driver Gustav Jonsson. The final point, closing the top 10, was earned by Australian driver Jack Beeton.
A solid return to the Championship for Ferrari Driver Academy's Aurelia Nobels, after competing in the 2023 season. The ART Grand Prix driver finished 14th despite a 5-second penalty for cutting the track. Her teammate Bianca Bustamante, who was ahead of Nobels during the first part of the race, finished 18th.
The action resumes tomorrow, Sunday, October 6, with the final day of the Euro 4 Championship 2024. Race 2 will take place at 8:40, followed by the last race of the 2024 Euro 4 Championship at 15:40.
The three races of the weekend will each last 30 minutes + 1 lap and will be broadcast live on the Euro 4 Championship YouTube and Facebook channels, as well as on ACI Sport TV (Sky channel 228, Tivù Sat channel 52, and streaming on www.acisport.it). Additionally, the TV coverage will extend to an international network, including the DAZN platform, ensuring global visibility for a championship that continues to capture the public’s attention in the feeder series landscape.
Alex Powell: "That was such a crazy race. To be honest, we had expectations of the race being hectic right from the start, just because of the tow here. But it was way crazier than I expected, and for me, it was really a big learning experience. I’m super happy and super grateful to have finally got the first win, especially because it's here, in Monza. This is where I’ve been living for the past 5 years. It’s an amazing feeling. We’ve been working really, really hard for this, and to finally get one is just incredible. I want to thank the whole Prema team for their hard work and continuous efforts this season, and of course, all my supporters for their backing throughout the year."
Akshay Bohra: "The race was pretty hectic. I gave my all until the end. I made a mistake at the first corner with my braking point, and after that, I just tried to recover. The slipstream is big here, so the safety car is always a challenge. Even in the second safety car, I got hit from behind. When Jack went off, it helped me but also hurt me. Obviously, I gained a position there, but then Alex was right behind me. I knew it was just a matter of time before he overtook me on one of the long straights. When it was my turn to use the slipstream advantage, unfortunately, the race ended. I can't really be too mad about the result. I’m here to give my best in every race, and I’m here to win every race possible. I just want to have fun, learn, and do my best. If the stars align, the stars align; but until then, I just want to maximize my performance."
Tomass Stolcermanis: "Without the tow and everything, it was a crazy race. you cannot get away, the tow gives you a lot. I think it was a really good race for me; I started P14 and managed to get onto the podium, so I’m really happy about that. Qualifying didn’t go our way, we had zero luck due to all the red flags. But I think today we had really good luck and made everything perfect. I’m really happy with this podium."