Newman Chi victorious in Italian F4 as Prema team-mates collide

Photo: ACI Sport

Newman Chi won the third Italian Formula 4 race at Monza, as his Prema team-mates ended up in collisions while squabbling behind.

Two of them, Kean Nakamura Berta and Sebastian Wheldon, started on the front row while Chi was sixth on the grid behind US Racing’s Luka Sammalisto, Prema team-mate Salim Hanna Hernandez and Van Amersfoort Racing’s Maximilian Popov.

Sammalisto tried passoung around the outside of turn one on the opening lap and made the move work, while Popov and Bondarev picked up damage and fell down the order.

The safety car was summoned mid-lap due to PHM Racing’s Andrea Dupe and Cram Motorsport’s Elia Weiss crashing out at Lesmo 1, so Nakamura did not have to look in his mirrors again until bringing the field back to racing speed at the end of lap four.

He left it super late, and Chi slipstreamed up to second place while Wheldon attempted to get back past Sammalisto through the first sector. US’s Kabir Anurag overtook Jenzer Motorsport’s Bart Harrison for seventh, and Wheldon moved back up to third at the final corner.

Sammalisto went back past down the pit straight, then Wheldon was back in third as lap seven began. Anurag and Harrison were still battling, but both cut the opening chicane and lost several places. Anurag cut the della Roggia chicane too and retired at the end of the lap, while Bondarev got spun around at turn two and the safety car was needed again.

Nakamura accelerated late again on the lap nine restart, and both Chi and Wheldon drew alongside courtesy of the slipstream. Chi took the lead into turn one, and Wheldon on the outside cut turn two. He rejoined ahead of Chi, but let him past as VAR’s Dante Vinci overtook Hanna at the next chicane for fifth. However he then spun off at Lesmo 1 and the safety car returned.

Racing resumed for the final time on the last lap, but before that even took place VAR’s Alexander Ruta drove over the back of another car at the final corner and there were several others compromised.

Chi nailed the restart to win, and Wheldon went around the outside of Nakamura at turn one but then drove both himself and his team-mate off at turn two. They fell out of the points positions, and promoted onto the podium were Sammalisto and Hanna.

Harrison recovered to fourth ahead of Real Racing Team’s Luca Viisoreanu, with R-ace GP’s Emanuele Oliveri finishing fifth. His team-mate Alex Powell started the race by going at the opening chicane, after starting 26th, but made his way up to 10th.

Race results (11 laps)