Photo: ACI Sport
Prema’s drivers set the pace in Italian Formula 4 qualifying at the Red Bull Ring, as the order was set for the weekend’s expanded schedule of four races.
The capacity 40-car entry list was split into two groups, with each group getting their own qualifying session instead of the usual format of everyone contesting two sessions.
Points leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the pace early on in Q1 ahead of Prema team-mates Conrad Laursen, Ugo Ugochukwu and Charlie Wurz.
McLaren junior Ugochukwu, making his series debut on a track he has tested at multiple times previously, then came to the fore by a slim margin and sat at the top of the timesheet until late on as Antonelli’s last lap put him ahead by 0.049 seconds.
US Racing’s Alex Dunne demoted Laursen to fourth, and new BVM Racing signing Alfio Spina (previously of BWR Motorsports) was fifth fastest. Iron Lynx’s Ivan Domingues was the last driver within a second of the pace in sixth.
Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad (Van Amersfoort Racing) and Francisco Soldavini (Maffi Racing) were 15th and 19th in their first qualifying session in car racing.
Prema also set the pace in Q2, which like the earlier session took place in wet and foggy conditions, and it was Rafael Camara who ended the session at the top of the times.
US Racing’s Kacper Sztuka was second fastest, 0.170 seconds slower than Camara, and BWR’s Taylor Barnard was third.
His team-mate Rishab Jain caused an early red flag, and there was then a second stoppage to the session that brought it to an end a minute-and-a-half early.
Niko Lacorte, driving for the Iron Lynx-supported Cetilar Racing team, was seventh fastest on his debut.
The qualifying results will be taken to set the grids for three qualifying races this weekend.
Qualifying results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Pace | Pos | Driver | Team | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Q2 | ||||||
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Prema | 1m44.800s | 1 | Rafael Camara | Prema | 1m45.743s |
| 2 | Ugo Ugochukwu | Prema | +0.049s | 2 | Kacper Sztuka | US Racing | +0.170s |
| 3 | Alex Dunne | US Racing | +0.790s | 3 | Taylor Barnard | BWR Motorsports | +0.560s |
| 4 | Conrad Laursen | Prema | +0.865s | 4 | James Wharton | Prema | +0.606s |
| 5 | Alfio Spina | BVM Racing | +0.893s | 5 | Maya Weug | Iron Lynx | +0.614s |
| 6 | Ivan Domingues | Iron Lynx | +0.947s | 6 | Nikhil Bohra | US Racing | +1.019s |
| 7 | Charlie Wurz | Prema | +1.100s | 7 | Niko Lacorte | Cetilar Racing | +1.341s |
| 8 | Martinius Stenshorne | Van Amersfoort Racing | +1.551s | 8 | Zachary David | US Racing | +1.500s |
| 9 | Pedro Perino | US Racing | +1.687s | 9 | Valerio Rinicella | AKM Motorsport | +2.090s |
| 10 | William Karlsson | BVM Racing | +1.700s | 10 | Brando Badoer | Van Amersfoort Racing | +2.320s |
| 11 | Marcus Amand | US Racing | +1.746s | 11 | Alex Partyshev | Jenzer Motorsport | +2.413s |
| 12 | Adam Fitzgerald | R-ace GP | +1.954s | 12 | Nikita Bedrin | PHM Racing | +2.622s |
| 13 | Kim Hwarang | BVM Racing | +1.972s | 13 | Jules Castro | Van Amersfoort Racing | +2.734s |
| 14 | Valentin Kluss | Jenzer Motorsport | +2.044s | 14 | Frederik Lund | R-ace GP | +2.795s |
| 15 | Arvid Lindblad | Van Amersfoort Racing | +2.089s | 15 | Ethan Ischer | Jenzer Motorsport | +2.874s |
| 16 | Emmo Fittipaldi | Van Amersfoort Racing | +2.264s | 16 | Jonas Ried | PHM Racing | +3.403s |
| 17 | Viktoria Blokhina | PHM Racing | +2.643s | 17 | Georgios Markogiannis | Cram Motorsport | +3.441s |
| 18 | Giovanni Maschio | AS Motorsport | +3.890s | 18 | Andrea Frassineti | Cars Automobili | +3.856s |
| 19 | Francisco Soldavini | Maffi Racing | +4.280s | 19 | Elia Sperandio | Maffi Racing | +7.706s |
| 20 | Ismail Akhmed | AKM Motorsport | +5.551s | 20 | Rishab Jain | BWR Motorsports | no time |