Kacper Sztuka, Arvid Lindblad, and Ugo Ugochukwu are ready for the final showdown. Also, the Women's Trophy is up for grabs, with Victoria Blokhina leading, closely followed by Tina Hausmann
Rome, Wednesday, October 11th, 2023 - This weekend, at Vallelunga Piero Taruffi Circuit, the Italian F.4 Championship 2023 will conclude. The series, promoted by ACI Sport and WSK Promotion, has once again lived up to expectations, continuing its decade-long success story, establishing Italian Formula 4 as a global benchmark. Vallelunga will host over 30 cars on the track, with drivers representing 20 different nations, promising an exciting spectacle. In the fight for the title, Kacper Sztuka, the Polish driver from US Racing, took the lead after the penultimate round at Mugello Circuit, leading the Championship by just 1.5 points. Sztuka seized the advantage with a thrilling performance in the last two rounds, winning all 6 races. Arvid Lindblad, second in the standings with a narrow margin, enters the final round determined to regain control after a season dominated in its early stages. The London-based Red Bull junior driver of PREMA Racing had a strong lead until round 5, but the subsequent 6 races reshuffled the standings, putting Lindblad in a chasing position. He has already been crowned Italian Rookie Champion but aims for the overall title in his debut season. The third contender for the final victory is the fast American driver Ugo Ugochukwu, representing PREMA Racing under the McLaren young driver program. Though his gap is larger, given his recent excellent performances, further surprises cannot be ruled out in this thrilling season finale that has captivated fans worldwide.
After the trophies already assigned at Mugello, where PREMA Racing celebrated their Team Trophy victory for the second consecutive year, the battle for the Woman Trophy remains intense. Victoria Blokhina from PHM Racing leads the female drivers' standings, closely pursued by Tina Hausmann, the Swiss racer from AKM Motorsport, who also holds the record for the most class victories (7). Still mathematically in contention is the Belgian-Brazilian driver from PREMA Racing, the Ferrari Driver Academy Aurelia Nobles, although with a more significant gap.
Additionally, there are new entries even in the final round of the season, as Teams in the Championship are already looking towards the future. Making his debut in the series is the talented German driver Tom Kalender, who will be racing for PHM Racing at Vallelunga. For Kalender, who has previously competed in the French Formula 4, this round at Autodromo Piero Taruffi marks his debut in Italy and his first time driving the Tatuus T421. The German rookie will join PHM Racing's lineup alongside Victoria Blokhina, Italian drivers Davide Larini and Giacomo Pedrini, and American James Egozi.
There is also a debut in the ranks of the Swiss team Jenzer Motorsport, with Chinese rookie Shimo Zhang joining the lineup. Zhang, with a rich background in karting, will be racing alongside Ariel Elkin and Ethan Ischer. Additionally, German driver Finn Wiebelhouse returns to the series after participating in several rounds earlier this year.
In addition to Lindblad, Ugochukwu, and Nobels, PREMA Racing's lineup includes two more Ferrari Driver Academy drivers, Australian James Wharton and Finnish Tuuka Taponen; as well as Tuscan Nicola Lacorte and Emirati Rashid Al Dhaheri. US Racing boasts a five-member Team, featuring Maltese-Filipino Zachary David, American Akshay Bohra, Australian Gianmarco Pradel, and Chinese Ruiqi Liu alongside Sztuka. Van Amersfoort Racing enters the track with five cars, including Italian Brando Badoer, Brazilian Matheus Ferreira from the Alpine Academy, Uzbek Ismail Akhmed, Australian Jack Beeton, and British driver Freddie Slater.
Marco and Andrea Kimi Antonelli's Team, AKM Motorsport, fields three cars, with Swiss driver Hausmann alongside Mexican Diego De La Torre and Dane Frederick Lund. The French team R-ace GP takes to the track with a duo featuring Italian driver Matteo Quintarelli and Singaporean Kabir Anurag. The Italian driver Alfio Spina will be fielded by BVM Racing as their sole representative, and Italian Guido Luchetti will fly the flag for Airflow Racing.
The final Championship round starts early, with collective tests starting on Thursday, October 12, from 14 to 18. On Friday, October 13, free practice sessions are scheduled from 8:30 to 9:10 and from 12:20 to 13, followed by crucial qualifying sessions. Qualifying 1 starts at 16:10 and lasts until 16:25, followed by the second session from 16:35 to 16:50.
The excitement peaks on Saturday, October 14, with the first race of the weekend starting at 11, lasting 30 minutes plus 1 lap. Race 2 will also takes place on Saturday, at 16:45, following the same duration. Finally, on Sunday, October 15, the Champion will be crowned after Race 3, beginning at 11, with a duration of 30 minutes plus 1 lap.
All three races of the weekend will be broadcast live with English commentary on Euro 4 Championship's YouTube and Facebook pages and Italian commentary will be available on ACI Sport TV (Sky channel 228 and 52 TV Sat), on www.acisport.it, and on Facebook @acisporttv.