PREMA Racing set for key championship round at Mugello
Coming from a long summer break that spanned from round 5 at Circuit Paul Ricard to the end of September, the Italian Formula 4 Championship will go back underway at Mugello Circuit this weekend. The PREMA Racing F4 team has kept busy with the Euro4 Championship two weeks ago at Monza, showing good potential across the board again. As a consequence, expectations are high for round 6 of the Italian series.
New talent will join the team at the undulating Tuscan venue. Coming from the PREMA Racing karting ranks, Jamaican racer Alex Powell will drive the #80 car, making his competitive auto racing debut. Coming from a positive run that included second place in the KZ2 FIA Karting World Cup and winning the OK Champions Of The Future title, Powell is supported by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Junior Programme.
Sitting with a sizeable lead at the top end of the Driver Championship, Arvid Lindblad continues his successful rookie campaign. The Red Bull Junior driver has six wins and four more podium finishes. Lining up within striking distance with six races to go, McLaren Driver Development's Ugo Ugochukwu sits second with a remarkable podium count and a strong progression to carry on.
The race-winning Ferrari Driver Academy train of James Wharton and Tuukka Taponen rounds out the top 5 in points with the intention to step up for the two final rounds of the year. Nicola Lacorte is willing to bounce back from a tough weekend at Paul Ricard relying on the potential seen at Monza and everywhere else this season, while Rashid Al Dhaheri will continue to gain experience. The Emirati has proven to be a consistent points scorer with rookie-winning potential. Another Ferrari Driver Academy member - and an Iron Dame - Aurelia Nobels, will continue her learning process to gain further insight and experience.
Angelo Rosin - Team Principal
"The round at Mugello will be a really important one as we are coming from a couple of events where our contenders proved highly competitive. No doubt we are having a great season, and every race weekend, we are putting up positive performances with all drivers. Still, our focus needs to be intact, as no hiccups are allowed. On the other hand, we are looking forward to racing with Alex, who will make the step from karting to enter his very first car race. We will do our best to help him make the jump and be quick straight away."
Weekend Timetable
Friday, September 29th, 2023
10:00 - Free Practice 1
14:10 - Free Practice 2
Saturday, September 30th, 2023
10:20 - Qualifying
17:50 - Race 1
Sunday, October 1st, 2023
09:55 - Race 2
16:50 - Race 3