Powell pips Prema team-mate Stolcermanis in F4 test at Red Bull Ring

Photo: F4 UAE

Formula 4 teams flocked to the Red Bull Ring this week for a two-day test, which was topped by Prema’s Alex Powell.

The entry list was split into two groups, and each got eight sessions. Track action began on Thursday, and US Racing’s Gianmarco Pradel laid down the first benchmark in Group A. He set a 1m31.950s to lead team-mate Akshay Bohra by 0.082 seconds and PHM Racing’s Davide Larini by 0.083s.

Group B had a far slower first session when they headed out, a 1m32.240s from Powell enough to put him atop the timesheet by 0.215s. Prema team-mate Dion Gowda and R-ace GP’s Luka Sammalisto were second and third.

Bohra lowered the pace by 0.026s when Group A returned to track, and was fastest by just 0.047s over team-mate Maxim Rehm.

Powell continued to be the Group B benchmark, improving to 1m32.018s and leading his team-mate Rashid Al Dhaheri by 0.122s, then in the afternoon Hitech GP’s British F4 dominator Deagen Fairclough showed he can master European circuits too as he set a 1m32.522s to edge Larini by 0.083s in session three for Group A.

Kean Nakamura Berta was the next Prema driver to be best-of-the-rest behind Powell, who was fastest by 0.152s in session three as he posted a new 1m31.825s benchmark.

Thursday’s final two sessions went the way of Larini, only 0.01s faster than Van Amersfoort Racing’s Gustav Jonsson with a 1m32.554s, and CL Motorsport’s Hong Kong karting graduate Zhenrui Chi. The last session had an unrepresentative pace, with a 1m34.211s from Chi making him fastest by 1.448s.

Group B were out first on Friday, and that is when the test’s fastest laps were set. Powell laid down a 1m31.773s that would go unbeaten, although team-mate Tomass Stolcermanis was only 0.006s slower. Nakamura and Gowda trailed by 0.171s and 0.199s.

Having done a GB3 test the day before, Italian F4 dominator Freddie Slater joined his team-mates on track and Prema was also running Williams Formula 1 junior Sasha Bondarev.

Pradel got into sixth overall by setting a 1m31.946s to top Group A, with team-mates Jack Beeton and Bohra 0.069s and 0.127s behind in second and third.

Powell was beaten in session six by 0.193s, as AKM Motorsport’s Mattia Marchiante went fourth fastest overall with a 1m31.941s, then Beeton and Bohra occupied the same positions again as a British driver in US Racing’s #15 car went fastest by 0.071s.

Chi and VAR’s Andrija Kostic topped sessions with significantly slower laptimes at the top in the afternoon, then the day ended with Powell leading Marchiante by 0.15s in Group B and Fairclough edging Larini by 0.138s in Group A.

Other drivers who are not racing in Italian F4 or Euro 4 that took part included Fairclough’s team-mates Reza Seewooruthun and Thomas Bearman, a karter whose older brother is the Formula 1-bound Ollie, and Angolan karting star Lorenzo Campos at VAR.

Test results