Formula 4 – Season mid-point at Vallelunga

The three FDA drivers competing in the Italian Formula 4 championship are racing in the fourth round this weekend, which marks the start of the second half of the season.

The season is moving on at quite a pace for Rafael Camara, James Wharton and Maya Weug, as the Ferrari Driver Academy trio race in the fourth of this year’s seven rounds in the Italian Formula 4 championship. Camara comes to Vallelunga as the series leader on 147 points, thanks to two wins, three second places and a third. Consistent performances mean the Brazilian rookie has always finished in the top eight.

James and Maya. Wharton is on the hunt for his first win, having made it to the podium in all three previous rounds, with a third place in Imola, Misano and Spa-Francorchamps. The Australian is currently fourth on 79 points. Weug is also keen to be back on track in Vallelunga. Maya has shown clear signs of progress compared to 2021, with five points finishes and her performance is improving race by race, which is a positive trend.

To do even better. “Naturally we are pleased with Rafael’s performance in the first part of the season, but our job is to keep improving,” affirmed the head of the FDA, Marco Matassa. “The competitors in this series are at a high level, but at Vallelunga, a track Rafael knows, I hope he will once again be in the fight for the win, as he was in the first two rounds, before missing out in Spa-Francorchamps. We are also working with James to accelerate his development and we must remember that both he and Rafael are still very young and in their first year in single-seaters. At the moment, Wharton lacks a bit of experience when it comes to close fighting in the races and if he can grow in confidence in these situations and make the most of them, I am sure he can move up the standings. In this first part of the season, we have also really been impressed by what Maya has done, showing signs of significant progress, regularly making it into the top ten. The hard work is paying off and every race is an opportunity to take another step forward.”

New format. The Vallelunga weekend sees the introduction of a new format which the organisers have come up with, aimed at allowing all drivers – no fewer than 40 are expected at this track on the outskirts of Rome – to race in greater numbers than would normally be allowed at this track. There will actually be four races this weekend: two each on Saturday and Sunday. This way, all competitors will be able to take part in the qualifying races divided into three groups (A, B and C) and they will then each race one another. At the end of the three races, a notional classification will be drawn up, by totalling each driver’s points and that will decide which drivers will take part in race 4.

Programme. Race 1 is on Saturday at 11.40 CET, followed by the second one at 17 CET. Race 3 is on Sunday at 9, while the fourth and final race of the weekend gets underway at 14 CET.