Photo: ACI Sport
Uzbekistani trailblazer Ismail Akhmed has signed with Van Amersfoort Racing for his second season in the Italian Formula 4 championship.
Akhmed made his car racing debut last year in F4, starting off with the United Arab Emirates championship where he raced for Xcel Motorsport and came 36th in the standings with a best finish of 19th. He then joined AKM Motorsport for Italian F4, and failed to register a top-20 finish across the season.
Despite the lack of results, Akhmed notably maintained a high level of motivation through a year in which he was making history for his country an he started 2023 by returning to F4 UAE with MP Motorsport for two rounds.
Before stepping up to cars, he spent two years in the CIK-FIA European Karting Championship’s senior OK class.
“Every day is a learning day,” said Akhmed as his VAR deal was announced. “It has been quite a journey to get where I am right now, and I am very thankful to all who played a part in it.
“Coming from a place where motorsport had no real base made it a big challenge to even get started, let alone trying to move up the ladder. However, I am extremely dedicated to make it to the next level, and joining VAR for my second Italian F4 season is one the biggest steps in my career so far.
“I spent time with the team in the Netherlands and I felt at home from the very start. Both the team’s and my own experience in the championship will surely help me to further progress and I can’t wait to get started. As we speak, we are on our way to start pre-season testing at Mugello, so the wait is finally over.”
VAR now has five drivers signed for Italian F4, with Akhmed teaming up with Brando Badoer, Jack Beeton, Alpine junior Matheus Ferreira and and Ivan Domingues.