Slater back in front in Italian F4 as late drama denies Yamakoshi victory

Photo: ACI Sport

Prema’s Freddie Slater reclaimed the Italian Formula 4 points lead with victory in race three at Imola.

Van Amersfoort Racing’s Hiyu Yamakoshi looked on course for a weekend sweep of victories from pole until he picked up car damage with two laps to go.

Slater started third behind US Racing’s Jack Beeton, but was ahead of him before turn one on the opening lap. The top two traded fastest laps through the first half of the race, with Yamakoshi only growing his lead to a second after seven laps.

Beeton was gapped far more quickly, and he came under pressure from Maxim Rehm on lap six and then on lap 10. He was able to soak up the pressure from his team-mate, with Prema duo Kean Nakamura Berta and Alex Powell behind them.

US’s Akshay Bohra and Prema’s Tomass Stolcermanis ran in seventh and eighth, and Prema’s Rashid Al Dhaheri was in ninth until he was hit around at Tamburello by Jenzer Motorsport’s Reno Francot on lap nine. Al Dhaheri managed to make it back to the pits and retire, while Francot  moved into ninth ahead of Dion Gowda (Prema), Luka Sammalisto (R-ace GP) and Gustav Jonsson (VAR).

Yamakoshi continued to lower the pace but was still only 1.2s clear when on lap 11 the safety car was summoned due to PHM Racing team-mates Maximilian Popov and Davide Larini colliding and the latter getting stuck in the gravel. Cram Motorsport’s Francesco Macedo had also stopped on track, but marshals quickly moved his car out of the way.

Racing resumed on lap 14, and Nakamura immediately passed Rehm, with Powell also getting past entering Tamburello. Nakamura then went off and dropped to ninth, and Rehm got back ahead of Powell.

Nakamura recovered to seventh by the end of the lap, as Stolcermanis dropped to 10th and Gowda fell to 12th.

There was then drama on lap 15 as Yamakoshi lost his front wing at the Variante Alta chicane then had a huge lock-up into Rivazza and was passed by Slater.

Beeton got past on lap 16, and the black-and-orange flag was shown which meant all the other lost positions mattered little.

Slater went into the final lap 4.139s ahead of Beeton, with Rehm a further 3.4s behind and trying to hold off Powell and Bohra.

Victory went to Slater by 5.036s, with Rehm successfully holding on to third place. Stolcermanis passed Francot for eighth, with Jonsson rounding out the points in 10th. Yamakoshi finished 27th, and is now 18 points behind Slater in the title fight.

VAR’s Alvise Rodella and Lin Hodenius both retired after stopping on track with car issues, and Maffi Racing duo Nathanael Berreby and Gabriel Holguin crashed out late on.

Race results (17 laps)