PREMA Racing wraps up highly-successful F4 opener at Imola

PREMA Racing captured three wins, multiple podium finishes and the championship lead in all classes in the opening round of the Italian Formula 4 Championship at Imola. The team lined up at the historical venue with seven cars and showcased an impressive pace throughout the whole weekend.

With a large field requiring to split the pack over three heat races and a final, and all drivers entering two of the three heats to qualify for the Final, the team secured the top spot in qualifying, as American Ugo Ugochukwu clocked the fastest lap overall and secured two poles.

However, it was Arvid Lindblad who won the biggest prize. The Red Bull Junior claimed second place in both his heats and later dominated the field with a scintillating run from start to finish in the Final to take the championship lead.

Race 1 handed Nicola Lacorte his first podium finish, but for the Italian that was only the start as he went on to dominate race 3, securing his maiden win in the series. Starting from the pole in the Final, he maximised his result after an eventful opening lap to take P4 and the lead in the rookie classification.

Ugochukwu prevailed in race 2, his first heat. Unfortunately, the American got stuck on the race 3 grid and was hit by an oncoming car, which forced him to retire and left the team with a tough rebuilding task. Nonetheless, he delivered in the Final, securing a podium and valuable points.

Rashid Al Dhaheri had a phenomenal start to his single-seater career. The Emirati driver, who only turned 15 a few weeks ago, performed in a pack featuring more experienced drivers and brought home two points finishes straight away, impressing for speed and race craft.

Despite having a challenging qualifying session, James Wharton posted a top-5 finish in his second heat while fellow Ferrari Driver Academy racer Tuukka Taponen, who also faced an up-and-down qualifying session, secured a double top-10.

Last but not least, Brazilian Aurelia Nobels came close to a points finish at her first Italian F4 race. The Ferrari Driver Academy and Iron Dames member secured two wins in the Women’s championship.

3 UGO UGOCHUKWU

“Definitely a positive weekend. The pace was good from practice and I managed to do P1 overall in qualifying, which was great, despite a mechanical issue we had over the weekend. In Race 1 we had a good pace as well and I managed to take home the win. Race 2 was a bit unfortunate as I couldn’t get off the line, but these things happen. The Final was quite good as well. I started P5, and managed to get two positions at the end and take another podium. I want to thank PREMA for doing a great job putting the car back together after race 2 and working very hard all weekend.”

Qualifying: P1 Gr.2
Starting position Race 2: P1
Starting position Race 3: P1
Starting position Final: P5
Fastest lap: 1:44.002
Race 2: P1
Race 3: DNF
Final: P3

8 TUUKKA TAPONEN

“We had a tough run in qualifying and some things went wrong in the first race, which is not ideal. However, we improved our race pace throughout the weekend and we were able to find a good balance. We need to look forward to the next one, and it will be for sure better.”

Qualifying: P9 Gr.2
Starting position Race 1: P11
Starting position Race 2: P10
Starting position Final: P17
Fastest lap: 1:45.090
Race 1: P9
Race 2: P9
Final: DNF

13 JAMES WHARTON

“Overall, it was a tough weekend starting from qualifying when a mistake by me put us on the back foot. With a better qualifying, it would have been a better weekend and I’m looking forward to making a step in the next one.”

Qualifying: P6 Gr.1
Starting position Race 1: P8
Starting position Race 3: P7
Starting position Final: P12
Fastest lap: 1:44.396
Race 1: DNF
Race 3: P5
Final: P13

14 RASHID AL DHAHERI

“The first two races went quite well, and I was able to learn a lot. It was very interesting, especially at the starts. We were always able to grow throughout the weekend and generally worked really well. We will try to take all the experience gained this weekend and use it for the next races.”

Qualifying: P6 Gr.2
Starting position Race 1: P7
Starting position Race 2: P8
Starting position Final: P11
Fastest lap:
Race 1: P7
Race 2: P7
Final: DNF

16 AURELIA NOBELS

“For the first races of the championship, it is very positive. We did good qualifications and the second race was really positive with a lot of good battles, holding the guys behind me. I manage to finish P11 and P1 in the women category. In the final race, we lost some positions at the start but then we recover. I am happy with this weekend and will work on it to be better in the next one.”

Qualifying: P10 Gr.2
Starting position Race 1: P13
Starting position Race 2: P12
Starting position Final: P21
Fastest lap: 1:45.145
Race 1: P21
Race 2: P11
Final: P17

47 NICOLA LACORTE

“It was a positive weekend for us, my first race in the Italian Championship this year. Honestly, I didn’t expect to have so much speed, from my side and from the car as well. P3 in my first heat and victory in the second were great. In the Final, I started from P1 but struggled a bit at the start. Still, I managed to come back close to a podium finish. I’m really positive for the rest of the season, and I look forward to being in the championship battle at the end of the year.”

Qualifying: P2 Gr.2
Starting position Race 1: P2
Starting position Race 3: P2
Starting position Final: P1
Fastest lap: 1:44.367
Race 1: P3
Race 3: P1
Final: P4

51 ARVID LINDBLAD

“I’m really, really happy with the results this weekend, two second places and a first and we are leading in the championship. We improved throughout the weekend, as we kept working and chipping away. We did a good qualifying on Friday, and started all three races in the top-3, improving in all of them. I’m very grateful to the team, my engineer, the mechanics and everyone at Red Bull.”

Qualifying: P2. Gr.1
Starting position Race 2: P3
Starting position Race 3: P3
Starting position Final: P2
Fastest lap: 1:44.160
Race 2: P2
Race 3: P2
Final: P1