Zhou charges through to add second win at Monza

Photo: ACI Sport

Ferrari junior driver Guan Yu Zhou weaved through the field in Italian F4’s reverse-grid race at Monza to claim his second win of the weekend.

The Chinese driver drove a smart race from tenth on the grid, eventually taking victory with a comfortable lead over second-placed David Beckmann.

Jenzer’s Marcos Siebert started the race from pole after finishing race one in tenth, but it was series newcomer Tim Zimmermann who got a better launch and led the field into turn one.

The German was followed by Mucke’s Mike David Ortmann and Antonelli’s Matteo Desideri and it was the former who soon took over in the lead.

Further in the field, Vallelunga double winner Ralf Aron was passed by Beckmann for fourth, while Robert Shwartzman and Bar Baruch squeezed Giuliano Raucci between themselves in the fight for sixth, which saw Raucci hit Shwartzman, giving the Russian a puncture.

Meanwhile, Zimmermann, having kept up with Ortmann, had a look at retaking the lead round the outside into Variante del Rettifilo, but ran wide and over the kerbs. Rejoining out of control, he tagged Matteo Desideri, taking the Antonelli driver out of the race.

Just then, Aron re-passed Beckmann and both of them moved past a struggling Zimmermann. Beckmann then slotted in behind team-mate and leader Ortmann, demoting Aron through turn one.

Shortly thereafter, Beckmann, who had won the reverse-grid race at Vallelunga, was into the lead past Ortmann, who now had to desperately work to keep Aron behind.

On exit from Variante del Rettifilo, the German was slow, blocking Aron and allowing Zhou to sneak past both of them and into second.

Aron, having lost momentum behind Ortmann, lost four spots in one lap, while the Mucke driver held on, now a close third behind the Beckmann and Zhou.

And soon enough, there was a lead change – Zhou slipstreamed past Beckmann on the main straight and began to check out.

Beckmann, meanwhile, was swarmed by Ortmann and a recovering Siebert, but his teammate ended up moving over on the Argentinian on the straight. Siebert’s car briefly lifted off, but he landed facing the right way and picked up front wing damage only, while Ortmann had to pit.

With Siebert losing ground and nursing damage, Joao Vieira, having started at the back after his race one retirement, passed Baruch for what would turn out to be the final podium spot.

Another Saturday retiree Lando Norris beat Aron on the final lap to claim fifth, while Siebert brought his car home in seventh, leading teammate Mauron.

Marino Sato and Yan Leon Shlom completed the top ten.

With two wins out of two at Monza, Zhou will start the third and final race of the weekend from pole and will be looking to add a second hat-trick to Italian F4’s two-season history. The first one was achieved by Mattia Drudi last year at this very track.

Race results