Nakamura Berta wins wet-dry Italian F4 race with slick tyre strategy

Photo: Roger Gascoigne

Prema’s Kean Nakamura Berta won Italian Formula 4’s third race at Paul Ricard, with his choice of slick tyres for the start key to his victory.

The race was declared wet due to rain that fell earlier in the day, and so the first two laps ran behind the safety car.

When green flag action began on lap three, it looked like those who had opted for wet tyres had made the right choice and Prema’s poleman Freddie Slater led US Racing’s Jack Beeton, his own team-mate Alex Powell, US’s Akshay Bohra and Van Amesfoort Racing’s Hiyu Yamakoshi.

Dion Gowda (Prema), Ethan Ischer (Jenzer Motorsport) and Maximilian Popov (PHM Racing) spun at the chicane on the Mistral straight, with Davide Larini (PHM) doing the same on lap four and then on lap PHM’s Everett Stack and Kamal Mrad both having spins instigated by others.

Further around that lap, Slater slid off after Signes and fell to third behind VAR’s Gustav Jonsson and Nakamura. Jonsson ended the lap 1.65 seconds ahead, and diving into the pits to switch to slicks were Bohra, Yamakoshi, Rashid Al Dhaheri (Prema) and Matheus Ferreira (US).

Slater did the same a lap later, and the pitters emerged back on track outside of the top 20. Jonsson meanwhile built a lead of 2.4s over Nakamura, but the gap reduced in the race’s second half and on the penultimate lap Nakamura almost managed to get alongside Jonsson after sliding around in his mirrors for several corners.

They started the final lap side-by-side, and Nakamura had the outside line heading into turn one. Both cut the corner entirely, after Nakamura had a huge snap of oversteer, and when they rejoined the track the lead changed hands.

Nakamura met the chequered flag 0.87s ahead for his first win, with stewards noting the top two’s exceeding of track limits.

Prema’s Tomass Stolcermanis was 5.4s behind in third, with Jenzer duo Reno Francot and Enea Frey in fourth and fifth.

Emanuele Olivieri was sixth, Gowda remarkably finished seventh and Real Racing Team’s Luca Viisoreanu was eighth.

Popov’s recovery drive took him to 10th place, Mrad was 18th, and Slater passed Yamakoshi late on to finish 18th.

Race results (14 laps)