PREMA Racing continued to achieve impressive results as the Italian Formula 4 Championship came back into action at the legendary Monza circuit for Round 3. The team secured three wins with three different drivers and retained the lead of all championship classes with a solid drive despite the hectic action seen on track.
The effort was outstanding since Race 1, when Sebastian Wheldon delivered victory number 3, maximizing the event of the race and navigating the hard-fighting pack after teammate and early leader Oleksandr Bondarev spun out.
Despite a tough qualifying 1 session, Kean Nakamura-Berta bounce back 10 positions to round the podium out. The Japanese-Slovakian then dominated the second race from pole position, while Wheldong got P3. The two drivers eventually collided while fighting for the lead in Race 3. Despite scoring no points there, the pairing is still strongly 1-2 in the drivers' standings.
Putting together an outstanding run for the whole race, beginning with a grest start, Chinese racer Zhenrui Chi secured his maiden overall win in the series, controlling the pack in a drama-filled Race 3. Coming from a strong qualifying performance, he had shown a competitive pace but was slowed by attrition in the first two races.
Salim Hanna secured a points finish in race 1, although an avoidable contact penalty forced him to the back after crossing the finish line third in Race 3. On the other hand, Bondarev saw a promising weekend end up with no satisfaction. After his race 1 spin, the Ukranian was involved in two contacts with no fault of his own in Race 2 and 3.
#27 - Oleksandr Bondarev
"We made good progress with speed compared to the first round, we were leading the first race. We were unlucky to have hit the gravel on the track, otherwise it would have been a great result. On Race 2 and 3 I got involved in unavoidable incidents twice. We need to focus on making more improvements in Mugello after having three DNFs in a row here at Monza."
#28 - Newman Chi
"I'm thrilled and satisfied with my first win! While free practice didn't go according to plan, we kept improving in qualifying and got ourselves in good places behind the leading drivers. In Race 1 I gained good ground but a spin up front forced me to cut the track and lose a lot, and Race 2 was a bit unlucky as well because I clipped one of my teammate's tyres, losing half of the front wing. I ended up being penalized in both cases. The last race, however, was just very good. I had a great start and did everything I should have done. The restarts were positive as well, and it all went in the best way."
#51 - Kean Nakamura-Berta
"Chaotic weekend here in Monza. Started off with a not-great Q1, track position was not ideal, so we qualified in P13. Still, in Q2 we got pole position for Race 2 and Race 3, which was a good turnaround. The car felt really good in both. In Race 1 I tried to stay safe and collect points, and managed to get P3 in the end. Going into Race 2, I managed to win from pole position, and while it was tough because it was so difficult to break away, the car felt great again. In Race 3, the start was mega, and I had a great gap already in the opening lap. Then we got three safety cars. The first restart was good, the second not so much, but there was still time left. The final safety car ended in the last lap, and I had to make moves. I went for a risky move on the outside of my teammate, and we had contact as he misjudged the corner exit, so no points finish. Monza is a bit chaotic it is what it is. Not the best way to end the weekend but we're still up there in the championship, we keep moving forward."
#88 - Salim Hanna
"We could have done a lot better this weekend. In qualifying 1 I made a mistake in Ascari that cost me the top three, and in qualifying 2 I caught traffic in my fastest lap. I still did my best. In Race 1 we had a good comeback to P5, and put everything together, we didn't have any issues. In Race 2 we had contact, something I couldn't control. We had quite a good start in Race 3, but I was pushed off in T2 and a few laps later, I had another contact I didn't initiate. But we still got the podium. It's a bit of a shame that we had so many situations we couldn't control to deal with. Mugello is next, and we still have a lot of margin to improve. We keep learning and moving forward."
#98 - Sebastian Wheldon
"Overall, I'd say a pretty okay weekend. The first two races went well and we showed good speed, like in the last one. We had good restarts and just at the end me and Kean collided. It was pretty unfortunate. It was still a good race and I can't thank the team enough for all the support."