F.4: Wharton wins at Mugello, points for Taponen

The first of three rounds in the new Euro 4 series took place last weekend, with James Wharton winning Race-3, while Tuukka Taponen picked up points and Aurelia Nobels made good progress.

Mugello hosted the first of three rounds featuring the best drivers from across the various Formula 4 series. Australia's James Wharton came away with a win, a third and a sixth place, which puts him second in the standings. "The first part of the weekend was tougher than expected, especially in Race 1 when my pace wasn't that good," commented Wharton. "The situation improved for the last two races with better results."

Tuukka.  Tuukka Taponen had a tough time of it after qualifying did not go as well as expected. The Finn started the first race from sixth place and was tenth at the end of the opening lap, eventually finishing eighth. He started Race 2 from 11th, but a collision with Ivan Domingues after the start which prompted a spin, meant he had to get going from the back of the pack. In the third race, Tuukka started 14th and produced a strong drive to finish eighth. "Overall, it was rather a difficult weekend," he said. "Race 3 was reasonably good as I managed to fight my way up the order with some nice overtakes. I'm happy with my race pace, but we must improve in qualifying so as to aim for the podium."

Aurelia.  Aurelia Nobels completed all three races, thus getting to know the Mugello track. "It was great preparation for the next round of the Italian championship," said the Brazilian. 'These were three intense and difficult days but they were also very important in terms of my learning. The last race was very good and I made up several places. But I made a mistake at the last corner and lost control of the car. However, overall I improved a lot this weekend and I'm happy about that."