Home Formula 4Italian F4 Aron dominates race three at Mugello, rivals hit by penalties

Aron dominates race three at Mugello, rivals hit by penalties

by Aditya Banerjee
Photo: ACI Sport

Photo: ACI Sport

Championship leader Ralf Aron extended his lead at the top of the standings with a dominant win in race three at Mugello, which saw many of his rivals receive penalties for ignoring yellow flags.

Aron shrugged off the threat of Mucke’s David Beckmann in the first corner, and was never headed thereafter, winning by over five seconds.

Antonelli driver Joao Vieira had a great start and was up to fourth from eighth at the start, but then lost out to Ferrari junior Guan Yu Zhou and retired with mechanical gremlins.

Zhou spent most of the race right behind Prema teammate Giuliano Raucci but as unable to overtake. Behind them, Lando Norris was the man on the move, taking Mauricio Baiz for sixth.

Drama unfolded shortly afterwards, with Riccardo Ponzio spinning and being collected by Ecuadorian racer Fernando Madera, eliminating both racers on the spot.

Double yellow flags were out as a result, however, this was missed by many drivers, and they were all slapped with in-race drive through penalties.

Among the penalised drivers were Raucci, Zhou, Norris, Bar Baruch, Raul Guzman, Robert Shwartzman, Marino Sato and Lucas Mauron.

This shuffled up the running order, and race two winner Marcos Siebert inherited third ahead of teammate Nico Rindlisbacher, who recorded his best finish in the series.

RB Racing’s Diego Bertonelli had dropped to last after stalling on the grid but moved upwards and was favoured by the host of penalties, finishing fifth. Zhou beat Raucci to sixth, who just about held off Norris at the line.

Baiz and Kikko Galbiati completed the top ten.

Race results

Pos. Driver Team Time/Gap
1 Ralf Aron Prema Powerteam 17 laps in 30:47.689
2 David Beckmann Mucke Motorsport +5.328
3 Marcos Siebert Jenzer Motorsport +16.992
4 Nico Rindlisbacher Jenzer Motorsport +33.868
5 Diego Bertonelli RB Racing +37.827
6 Guan Yu Zhou Prema Powerteam +38.068
7 Giuliano Raucci Prema Powerteam +38.674
8 Lando Norris Mucke Motorsport +38.797
9 Mauricio Baiz Vincenzo Sospiri Racing +40.730
10 Kikko Galbiati Antonelli Motorsport +46.219
11 Kevin Kanayet Malta Formula Racing +53.101
12 Alex Peroni Torino Squadra Corse +53.746
13 Robert Shwartzman Mucke Motorsport +55.570
14 Raul Guzman Malta Formula Racing +56.518
15 Lucas Mauron Jenzer Motorsport +56.812
16 Marino Sato Vincenzo Sospiri Racing +1:00.086
17 Bar Baruch Israel F4 +1:07.126
18 Julia Pankiewicz RB Racing +1:08.305
19 Wiktoria Pankiewicz RB Racing +1:08.522
20 Mattia Ferrari Antonelli Motorsport +1:18.286
21 Yan Leon Shlom Malta Formula Racing +1:32.684
22 Matteo Desideri Antonelli Motorsport +1 lap
Not classified
Joao Vieira Antonelli Motorsport +8 laps
Riccardo Ponzio Teramo Racing Team +13 laps
Fernando Madera Team Costarica +13 laps
Ye Yifei RB Racing +14 laps