Sztuka gets his fourth Italian F4 win in a row to close in on Lindblad

Photo: ACI Sport

US Racing’s Kacper Sztuka fourth Italian Formula 4 victory in a row helped him reduce Arvid Lindblad’s points lead in race one at Mugello.

Sztuka started from pole and shared the grid’s front row with Prema’s Tuukka Taponen, who was judged to have jumped the start although he actually stalled and dropped to 13th.

That promoted team-mate Ugo Ugochukwu into second ahead of US’s Pradel and Prema’s Lindblad, another to have jumped the start. Pradel managed to pass Ugochukwu before the safety car was summoned due to Matteo Quintarelli’s car stopping on track.

Racing resumed on lap three and Sztuka left is as late as possible to return to racing speed. That plan worked as it enabled him to break away while Ugochukwu and Lindblad passed Pradel on either side of him.

It was a peaceful race at the front thereon, with Sztuka finishing 1.594s clear of Ugochukwu. A 10-second penalty for jumping the start dropped Lindblad from third to fifth behind Pradel and team-mate Rashid Al Dhaheri.

US’s Akshay Bohra in sixth led a train of cars, with Van Amersfoort Racing’s Brando Badoer on his tail and the battling James Wharton (Prema) and Freddie Slater (VAR) just behind them. Taponen recovered to ninth by passing Slater, but then dropped back behind him at the end and his 10s penalty knocked him down to 15th.

Car racing debutant and Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 junior Alex Powell finished a lapped 28th after changing his front wing on lap three, his Prema team-mate Niko Lacorte stopped on track four laps from the end, meanwhile Kabir Anurag, Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi and Zachary David all retired in the pits.

Race result (17 laps)