PREMA Racing posted two podium finishes in the second round of the Italian F4 Championship at Vallelunga. A larger and even closer field than in the series opener made the races extremely tricky and mistakes costly at the Roman venue. However, Alp Aksoy and David Cosma Cristofor secured podium finishes to keep their championship challenge fully alive.
Aksoy retained the overall championship lead by finishing third in Race 1 and adding two further top-5 results. The Turkish driver maximised his potential, claiming three rookie class victories in the process.
Cosma Cristofor posted the fastest lap overall in the combined qualifying session and went on to secure three podiums. Although he lost P2 in Race 2 due to contact and a subsequent penalty, he rebounded with second place in Race 3 and P3 in the Final.
Both Kingsley Zheng and Roman Kamyab — the latter making his Italian F4 debut with PREMA this weekend — achieved strong results. Zheng posted his personal best finish with P7 in Race 2, while Kamyab delivered a brilliant top-5 in Race 1.
Oleksandr Bondarev endured a difficult weekend. The Ukrainian struggled in qualifying and, although he fought back to score points in the heats, contact sent him into the barriers in the Final.
Contact also compromised the weekends of Niccolò Maccagnani and Christian Costoya. Maccagnani, racing at his home venue, showed the pace to challenge for podiums, but a P24 and a DNF prevented him from reaching the Final. Two early contacts similarly sidelined Costoya.
#1 CHRISTIAN COSTOYA
"The weekend is finished and we take some positives in terms of driving. We were pretty fast in the test as we looked for a good setup for qualifying. We were still missing a bit in the performance runs but the pace in the long runs was good. We just got very unlucky in Race 2, where we had a puncture, and in Race 3, when I had contact with my teammate, but we will come back stronger in Monza."
#4 ROMAN KAMYAB
"It was a good weekend. We got P5 in the first race, while it was a bit more unfortunate in the second. In the Final, we managed to make up a lot of positions after a tough start. We learned a lot this weekend, my first one in Italian F4. I feel confident going into Monza, I feel I can improve again and we'll see how it goes."
#10 ALP AKSOY
"I was quite confident going into qualifying, but unfortunately I was blocked in both my laps when my ideal lap was actually quicker than the pole lap. In Race 1, I had a good start from P5, moving up one spot and ended up in P3, with some good fights and very good pace. In the second race I started from P4 and dropped to P5. It was only an okay start with a bit too much wheelspin. I fought back to overtake one car and ended up in P4. I started from P3 in the Final on a dirty part of the track. I dropped to P5 but managed to fight back one spot in T4. I was fourth for most of the race. We struggled a bit with the pace but we are still leading the championship. Both the team and I need to find something for Monza, but the fight is on."
#19 NICCOLO' MACCAGNANI
"The pace in Race 1 was looking quite strong, then unfortunately we got hit, and then we had a crash in the second race as well. It has been an unfortunate weekend, but we keep pushing. Thanks to the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, my parents and to the team."
#27 OLEKSANDR BONDAREV
"It was a really difficult weekend for us. We struggled with an engine issue and were working really hard to find what it was, only managing to find the reason for Race 3. Most of the weekend was lost due to the starting positions, but nothing is over yet. We are going to work hard to do the best job we can in Monza and start our comeback in the rest of the championship. Big thanks to the whole team for the work!"
#69 KINGSLEY ZHENG
"Overall, it was a decent weekend with lots of positives to take away. The pace was there in testing and practice, but some mistakes put us at the back for qualifying, which wasn't the best. In Race 1 we had a crash and it wasn't great, but in Race 2 we managed to keep our heads up and score a rookie podium, making up six places. In the Final, we made it to P15 on lap 1, but some tyre issues caused us to drop back. Thank you to everyone around me, PREMA, my family, my coach and my trainer for everything they have done."
#98 DAVID COSMA CRISTOFOR
"It was a very good weekend where we stepped onto the podium in all three races, which was quite nice. I improved my racecraft since Misano and grabbed some good points for the championship. The momentum is good! I want to thank the team, my sponsors and my family for this weekend and I look forward to trying to get my first win in Monza!"