Italian F4 – arguably the most competitive Formula 4 championship on the feeder series ladder – is ready for its 11th season to kick off, with a mix of promising newcomers and seasoned veterans on the 37-car grid. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the season.
By Daniele Spadi
The 2023 Italian F4 season saw a spectacular title fight full of twists and turns. While Arvid Lindblad dominated the first half of the season, it was Kacper Sztuka who turned a once 100-point deficit into the first-ever drivers’ title in an F4 series for a Polish driver and the first title won by a driver from US Racing.
With nine drivers from last year’s top 11 graduating to other series such as F3 and FRECA, the 2024 season looks set to be as unpredictable as ever. The grid has undergone a complete makeover from last season, with a total of 20 rookies and only a handful of drivers returning for a second year in the series.
The calendar
The Italian F4 calendar for 2024 remains consistent with those of recent years, featuring seven rounds, including two held outside of the championship’s home country. The only venue change in 2024 relative to 2023 is the addition of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, replacing the historic Spa-Francorchamps as one of the two international rounds of the series.
- Round 1: Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli (3–5 May)
- Round 2: Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari (31 May–2 June)
- Round 3: Autodromo di Vallelunga (14–16 June)
- Round 4: Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello (12–14 July)
- Round 5: Circuit Paul Ricard (19–21 July)
- Round 6: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (27–29 September)
- Round 7: Autodromo Nazionale Monza (25–27 October)
The format
In terms of the race weekend format, nothing has changed from 2023. The weekends begin with two collective test sessions on Thursdays, occurring in selected rounds of the championship. Fridays feature two 40-minute free practice sessions followed by qualifying. The three races then unfold on Saturdays and Sundays, each lasting 30 minutes plus one additional lap.
However, similar to last season, the weekend format may change if the number of entries exceeds the track limit set by the championship’s sporting regulations. If and when this happens, the field will be divided into three groups, with each group racing twice in the first three races. The top drivers, up to the number of participants permitted by the circuit’s maximum capacity, will then compete in the final race.
Where to watch
Italian F4 remains easily accessible worldwide. While fans can only follow practice and qualifying sessions via live timing, the races will be live-streamed on the series’ YouTube and Facebook pages, as well as on ACI Sport TV.
Teams and drivers
Prema Racing
After securing three team titles in the last four years, Prema Racing is once again the team to beat this season. Despite their success, the Italian outfit will be eager to reclaim the drivers’ crown after US Racing clinched it last season thanks to Kacper Sztuka’s amazing comeback in the latter rounds.
To do so, Prema has assembled an impressive line-up of six drivers. The first driver is Freddie Slater (#27), whose title win in F4 UAE this winter and experience in Italian F4, Euro 4 and the Macau Grand Prix F4 race last year make him an instant favourite for the title.
Joining Slater are two of his rivals from F4 UAE: Rashid Al Dhaheri (#14) and Kean Nakamura-Berta (#51), who will be ready to fight with the Briton once again as Italian F4 teammates. Al Dhaheri remains with Prema after a positive debut last year in the series, where he finished 10th overall and sixth amongst the rookies. Nakamura-Berta, an Alpine Academy driver, will be seeking redemption after missing out on the F4 UAE title by just four points. Also joining Prema’s line-up is F4 UAE race winner and Mercedes junior Alex Powell (#80). The 16-year-old Jamaican-American driver showed promise in his F4 debut in Vallelunga last season with Prema, collecting a points finish in the final race of the season.
The last two drivers who will be driving for the Italian team are Tomass Štolcermanis (#33) from Latvia, who earned a podium finish on his F4 SEA debut at Sepang last November while racing in single-seaters for the first time in his career, and Dion Gowda (#50), a British F4 race winner . Born in Bangalore, the Indian driver made his on-track debut in the 2023 F4 UAE Championship before a promising British F4 campaign with Rodin Carlin saw him finish fourth overall.
US Racing
After clinching the drivers’ championship last season thanks to an incredible effort by Polish driver Kacper Sztuka, US Racing retain three of their six drivers from 2023.
Akshay Bohra (#31), who finished eighth last season and third in Euro 4 with a race win, will be looking to become the captain of the German ship. Teammate Gianmarco Pradel (#12), a podium finisher in Italian F4 last year, could also potentially challenge for the title, though a step forward will be needed from the Australian. Lastly, Kabir Anurag (#19), now a part of the Alpine Academy, has been retained by US Racing after partaking in the final two rounds of the 2023 season.
Joining the team from Van Amersfoort Racing are Matheus Ferreira (#10) from Brazil and Jack Beeton (#45) from Australia. Ferreira, a former Alpine Academy driver, will be eager to improve on his five points finishes last year, with a fifth place in Spa as his best result, while Beeton arrives having taken multiple podium finishes in F4 UAE and Formula Winter Series over the winter. Lastly, Maxim Rehm (#71) will make his single-seater debut in Italian F4, racing for his home team after testing with them during the winter.
Van Amersfoort Racing
After a challenging season last year Van Amersfoort Racing has unveiled a completely revamped line-up, with five new drivers ready to take on a new challenge.
After getting his first taste of Italian F4 racing last year in Le Castellet, Alvise Rodella (#55) is fresh off a rookie campaign in Spanish F4 and ready to make an impact in his home series. Also joining from the Spanish series will be Lin Hodenius (#88), a talented driver in both single-seaters and GT racing, and Hiyu Yamakoshi (#6), who impressed onlookers with his consistency and racecraft in the second half of the season. The Japanese driver was also a contender in French F4 last season, racking up multiple podium finishes throughout the year as well as the fastest lap at the Pau Grand Prix on his way to fifth in the drivers’ standings.
Swedish driver Gustav Jonsson (#36) the reigning British F4 rookie champion, also joins the Dutch team with two podium finishes and 11th in the standings to his name. Serbian driver Andrija Kostić (#8), a multiple winner in national karting competitions, will be making his debut in single-seaters to complete Van Amersfoort Racing’s line-up.
PHM Racing
Thanks to Valentin Kluss’ performances in the first half of the season, PHM Racing was able to finish fourth in the teams’ standings in 2023, but the team has changed its line-up almost entirely for 2024.
The only driver to stay on from last season is Davide Larini (#16), who raced with the German outfit for the final two events of 2023. The son of former F1 driver Nicola, Larini failed to score points in his first full season of single-seater racing, but he will be looking to change that in 2024 after having gained two rounds of experience with the team in F4 UAE.
Alongside the Italian will be three drivers who contested the full F4 UAE season. Australia’s Kamal Mrad (#70) made his debut in the series at the final round in Vallelunga last season, while
Maksimilian Popov (#3), and Everett Stack (#9) are new entirely. Stack already accumulated experience in faster cars with a two-round cameo in Formula Regional Americas after beginning last year in F4 US.
Serbia’s Andrej Petrović (#49), the runner-up in F4 Saudi Arabia with four race wins to his name, completes PHM’s line-up.
BVM Racing
One of the smallest teams in Italian F4, BVM, began the 2023 season spectacularly, claiming second place with Italian talent Alfio Spina in the final race atImola. But Spina faded in later rounds, and the team struggled to take home points by the end of the season.
BVM is scheduled to enter the 2024 season with just one car, and Spina – who scored 53 of the team’s 54 points in 2023 – looks to be unable to continue due to funding issues. The driver set to race for the Italian team this season is 16-year-old Czech driver Jan Koller (#18), who will make his debut in single-seaters after several years on the international karting scene.
R-ace GP
After a phenomenal 2023 FRECA campaign, R-ace GP seeks success in Italian F4 too after a tougher-than-expected season last year. The French team enters the 2024 season with two new faces who will make their debut in the series.
One is 16-year-old Taiwanese driver Enzo Yeh (#77), who impressed in F4 SEA late last year, taking home a podium finish on his way to seventh in the standings. He was also a finalist of the Ferrari Scouting World Finals, proving he could be one to watch down the line.
Pairing up with Yeh will be Luka Sammalisto (#7), who effectively won a spot on the Italian F4 grid through a team-organised shootout camp. The 16-year-old Finn will be eager to impress after only scoring points twice in F4 UAE.
Jenzer Motorsport
Since winning the drivers’ title back in 2016 with Marcos Siebert, Jenzer Motorsport has faced challenges in Italian F4. However, with newfound stability and confidence from a positive start to the year in other competitions, the Swiss team may be looking to consistently challenge for points this year.
Staying for a second season with the team is Ethan Ischer (#21), who won two of the opening three races of the 2024 F4 CEZ season as a guest driver. Alongside him, China’s Shimo Zhang (#24) also remains with Jenzer after racing with them in the final round of Italian F4 in 2023.
The team will field two more cars for a pair that became known to them through the Formula Winter Series. Enea Frey (#22) will join the team with experience in both European and world-level karting competitions, Frey made his single-seater debut in Formula Winter Series earlier this year, taking home points in the final round of the season. Dutch driver Reno Francot (#23), the 2023 F4 CEZ runner-up, completes the team’s line-up.
AKM Motorsport
After a challenging year in 2023, AKM Motorsport will be aiming for more consistency in the points-paying positions in 2024. They will try to achieve this goal with Ferrari Scouting World Finals participant Emanuele Olivieri (#73). The young Italian also won the 20th edition of the Supercorso Federale by ACI, showing great promise and making him one of the dark horses of the 2024 season.
Alongside him will be Ukraine’s Oleksandr Savinkov (#52), who will try to gather as much experience as possible after his stint in Formula Winter Series
AS Motorsport
Despite only taking part in the opening two rounds of the 2023 season, Slovenian-Italian outfit AS Motorsport returns to Italian F4, which it is this year dovetailing with a campaign in F4 CEZ. The team enters the 2024 season with a sole entry driven by Edu Robinson (#62). After taking home the 2020 Spanish karting title and a positive Ginetta Junior campaign last season, the Spaniard will be looking to maximise his first official F4 outing in Misano.
Maffi Racing
Maffi Racing enters 2024 with Venezuelan driver Gabriel Holguin (#54), who enters the series for a full season after his promising debut with the team at Paul Ricard.
Nathanaël Berreby (#29) will be his teammate. The Swiss-Panamanian driver already partook in Formula Winter Series earlier this year,and will support his Italian F4 campaign with selected rounds of F4 CEZ.
Cram Motorsport
Compared to the 2023 season, two new teams are joining the grid this year. The first one is Cram Motorsport, which is back after a one-year hiatus. The Italian outfit is ready to field Kai Daryanani (#35), who is joining Italian F4 after a tough campaign in British F4 last season.
Also racing for Cram Motorsport is young Brazilian driver Filippo Fiorentino, who continues with the team after participating in the last two events of the 2023 Spanish F4 season with them. He also raced in FWS a couple of months ago, getting close to the points on multiple occasions. Fiorentino is not on the entry list for the first round at Misano.
Real Racing
Making their debut in Italian F4 is Real Racing. With 20 years of experience in karting competitions, the Romanian team is now ready to join single-seater racing, entering two cars into the championship.
Luca Viisoreanu (#11) will be joining his home team, racing in F4 for the first time after promising results in karting competitions. The second car will be driven by fellow Romanian Andrei Duna (#95), whose experience gathered during his 2023 French F4 campaign could prove to be crucial for the team.
Header photo credit: Mattia Negrini
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