PREMA Racing is lining up at one of the world's most classic destinations for junior single-seaters, Monza, which the team has always regarded as a home race. The fast circuit near Milan will be hosting round 3 of the so far hard-fought Italian Formula 4 Championship.
The Italian venue offers a unique set of challenges. With so many cars on track, positioning in qualifying is paramount, and slipstreaming on the straights can make a huge difference as drivers navigate through the pack. In addition, the chicanes require confidence and precision: contact can be only a braking zone away.
PREMA arrives at Monza with Alp Aksoy on top of the overall and rookie rankings. The Turkish racer has been highly impressive so far, having achieved two overall wins and six rookie wins out of six races he took part in.
Standing third in points, not far from the lead, Romanian David Cosma Cristofor has achieved four podiums so far and has been one of the most consistent drivers of the year from qualifying to race day. The Romanian will chase his maiden win on Italian soil, at the same track where he posted three rookie podiums in 2025.
Oleksandr Bondarev, on the other hand, is looking to bounce back after a challenging season start and will be chasing better starting positions in qualifying. The fast Ukrainian already showed positive pace in race trim.
Back from a tough ending in Vallelunga, where they did not qualify for the final due to attrition, Niccolò Maccagnani and Christian Costoya are aiming for a return into contention on a track where they had solid testing experience. Meanwhile, Chinese driver Kingsley Zheng is returning to action after posting his maiden top-10 finish and showcasing solid growth last time around. Last but not least, Roman Kamyab has had a remarkable debut with the team at Vallelunga, quickly becoming a top-5 contender, and with more mileage under his belt, building good momentum would make a great difference for him and the team.
Once again, the series will be using a heat format as a record-high 49 cars have been entered. Drivers will be split into two groups for practice and qualifying, and will be assigned to three groups. Every group will take part in two heat races, while only the 36 best at the end of the heats will be allowed to compete in the final.
STEPHEN MITAS - TEAM PRINCIPAL & CEO
"Monza is always a fascinating event in Formula 4. The field is exceptionally tight and competitive, and the format here tends to be quite unforgiving, so small margins can have a significant impact on the overall outcome. The circuit itself adds another layer of challenge, with its fast and unique layout. That makes it a demanding weekend, but step by step we are pushing forward and we are confident that our drivers have what it takes to deliver. We are looking forward to seeing what they can produce across the weekend."