PREMA Racing starts 2022 Italian F4 season with Imola win

PREMA Racing maximized its weekend in challenging conditions in the opening round of the Italian Formula 4 Championship. As the Italian venue was impacted by variable weather, with the rain often making for some treacherous runs, the team posted solid results and its first win of the year in the series. 

The victory came courtesy of Rafael Camara. The Brazilian started well from the front row of race 1 and sealed the opportunity when teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli was sidelined by mechanical issues. An issue also hit Camara in qualifying 2, but starting from the back, the 16-year-old Ferrari Driver Academy racer fought back to P8, before moving from P5 to P2 in the weekend-ending race 3.

Antonelli took pole for the opening race, but gearbox woes forced him to retire. In qualifying two, he was caught out by a red flag with his teammates, as the team switched to slick tyres after choosing to begin the session with wet ones. 

Starting from row 7 in race 2, Antonelli suffered from front wing damage and had to pit, while in race 3 he fought back from P8 on the grid to P4. Unfortunately, a penalty for a run-in with teammate James Wharton pushed him down to P10. 

On the other hand, the Australian rookie delivered a podium finish in race 2 after finishing the first one with a solid fourth position. Following the aforementioned contact, he dropped to P9 in race 3, still into the points zone.

Charlie Wurz didn’t have a smooth weekend, especially in qualifying, but showed good pace in race conditions, making outstanding recoveries and ending with a double points finish in P7. Conrad Laursen experienced a troubled weekend. The Dane was put out of contention by contact twice in the first two races, before ending up race 3 in P13.

“It’s was a challenging weekend. We were on for a good lap in Q2 before a red flag came out, but we managed to make a good recovery, making up a lot of places on Sunday. A few points this weekend to bounce back from a poor qualifying are a positive thing. We know we have the pace but we still have a few things to work on before heading into round 2.”

Qualifying 1: P8

Qualifying 2: P31

Starting Grid Race 1: P8

Starting Grid Race 2: P30

Starting Grid Race 3: P14

Fastest lap: 1:58.819

Fastest lap: 2:09.444

Race 1: P7

Race 2: P16

Race 3: P7

“It hasn’t been the weekend that we expected since qualy 2, when we took the wrong decision and I was a bit too conservative so we couldn’t achieve the best possible result. In race 1 I had a gearbox issue and had to stop while leading. In race 2 I tried a risky move but I don’t know why, I broke my front wing on a kerb, and that also was a DNF for us. In race 3, starting from P9, we had mega speed even if it was difficult to come back to the front. Unfortunately, after contact with another car, we got a 10-second penalty. It was not a great weekend for us but the positive thing to take away is the speed, and we look forward to the next one.”

Qualifying 1: P1

Qualifying 2: P14

Starting Grid Race 1: P1

Starting Grid Race 2: P14

Starting Grid Race 3: P9

Fastest lap: 1:57.590

Fastest lap: 2:00.067

Race 1: P25

Race 2: P24

Race 3: P10

“The first weekend of Italian Formula 4 Championship was a very positive one and we scored good points. However, there is still a lot to focus on. It’s time to keep working for the next rounds.”

Qualifying 1: P6

Qualifying 2: P10

Starting Grid Race 1: P6

Starting Grid Race 2: P10

Starting Grid Race 3: P7

Fastest lap: 1:58.385

Fastest lap: 1:58.977

Race 1: P4

Race 2: P3

Race 3: P9

“Overall it was a very bad weekend for us. We never really seemed to get anything together. In practice, it was looking quite OK, with promising pace and something to work on. Then in Q1 I didn’t really manage to get the perfect lap, and we ended P9. In Q2, due to a strategy decision, we went with the dry tyres first and had to switch to the wets. Unfortunately, when we came out on the wets, we just didn’t have enough time because of a red flag. As a consequence, we had to start behind in both race 2 and 3. In race 1 and 2 I had two crashes. It was quite unfortunate, and honestly both times it was a bit of a mistake on my side. Even in race 3 I didn’t seem to find the pace, and I was struggling to pass the other drivers. We will keep the focus and move forward to the next one.”

Qualifying 1: P9

Qualifying 2: P27

Starting Grid Race 1: P9

Starting Grid Race 2: P27

Starting Grid Race 3: P16

Fastest lap: 1:58.886

Fastest lap: 2:05.196

Race 1: P4

Race 2: DNF

Race 3: P13

“It was a good weekend for me. Unfortunately I had a problem in qualifying 2, but we managed to fight back and score some valuable points. Generally I’m satisfied with how it went and I’m happy for my first win in the Italian Championship.”

Qualifying 1: P2

Qualifying 2: P33

Starting Grid Race 1: P2

Starting Grid Race 2: P31

Starting Grid Race 3: P5

Fastest lap: 1:57.813

Fastest lap: no time

Race 1: P1

Race 2: P8

Race 3: P2

Source | Photo: PREMA Racing