Gabriele Minì takes 2020 Italian Formula 4 title at Imola

PREMA Powerteam experienced a memorable weekend at Imola. With one win and two second-place finishes, Gabriele Minì secured the 2020 Italian Formula 4 Championship with one full round still to go. The 15-year-old racer, who was the first Italian to take the overall title in the history of the championship, delivered three outstanding runs including a win in race 1, as he kept control of the situation and did not make the slightest mistake. He is the fifth Prema driver to take the Italian title, the first being Lance Stroll in 2014. 

Dino Beganovic was no less delighted at Imola. The young Ferrari Driver Academy racer claimed his maiden win in the series as he dominated from the pole in race 2. He completed his score for the weekend with two more podiums. His outstanding form of late is turning him into a top competitor for the runner-up spot.

Sebastian Montoya, Gabriel Bortoleto and Kirill Smal showed good potential since testing and delivered consistent runs to take points finishes in the races. The Colombian-American secured sixth place in race 1 and rebounded to P7 in race 3, after a heavy race 2 crash caused by a puncture. The Brazilian fought as hard as he could and was able to finish the event in improving fashion with two P8 finishes. The Russian showed impressive pace since collective testing, and despite some ups and downs, he managed to also bring home two top-10s.

PREMA Powerteam will now be back to fight for the team title in the series finale scheduled in two weeks at Vallelunga.

#3   Kirill Smal

“Overall the pace was there but we didn’t manage to convert them in the race sometimes because of mistakes, sometimes just for being unlucky. Overall it was a good weekend because we were here for the first time and we were on the same pace as the other drivers on the team and we found what we needed and we will be back strong in Vallelunga.”

Qualifying 1: P7                  Fastest lap: 1'44.890

Qualifying 2: P5                  Fastest lap: 1'44.287

Starting Grid Race 1: P7      Race 1: P8

Starting Grid Race 2: P8      Race 2: DNF

Starting Grid Race 3: P5      Race 3: P9

#6   Sebastian Montoya

“In qualifying 1 we struggled a lot honestly and generally we struggled to warm the tyres all weekend. In qualy 2 I made an improvement and I finished with a double P7. Race 1 was really really positive, I was able to go from P16 to P6 which I think is really good. In race 2 we were set for some good points again and probably the best finish of the year but I was unlucky as I touched with another car which gave me a puncture with two minutes to go and that caused me to crash. I want to say a big thank you to my mechanics for putting the whole car back together and it really looked brand-new. In race 3 I struggled a bit on my side with a couple of mistakes, but I learned and I will improve for Vallelunga.”

Qualifying 1: P17                  Fastest lap: 1'45.426

Qualifying 2: P7                   Fastest lap: 1'44.359

Starting Grid Race 1: P16      Race 1: P6

Starting Grid Race 2: P7       Race 2: DNF

Starting Grid Race 3: P7       Race 3: P7

#7   Dino Beganovic

“We had the speed all weekend long and qualifying was really good as we got another pole and two P2 starts which was great. I was very happy with race 1, great pace, fastest lap and a P2, a very strong result and I was delighted also with the balance and the teamwork. In race 2 I got my first win in Formula 4 which I’m really happy about with the fastest lap again. Then in race 3 we got another solid result in P3. We scored a lot of points this weekend. I’m really happy with our work and I look forward to Vallelunga.”

Qualifying 1: P3                    Fastest lap: 1'44"517

Qualifying 2: P1                    Fastest lap: 1'43"865

Starting Grid Race 1: P2        Race 1: P2

Starting Grid Race 2: P1        Race 2: P1

Starting Grid Race 3: P2        Race 3: P3

#46   Gabriele Minì

“It feels so good. It has been a tough championship since the beginning of the year. I tried to carry as many points as I could and I tried to learn from every mistake. It would have been perfect with a race win but I’m still really happy with this title. I can’t be enough thankful to my team, my management and everyone who supported me. Winning my first title in single-seaters is really something special, I really can’t explain my feelings right now, I’m so happy.”

Qualifying 1: P2                    Fastest lap: 1'44.470

Qualifying 2: P2                    Fastest lap: 1'43.884

Starting Grid Race 1: P1        Race 1: P1

Starting Grid Race 2: P2        Race 2: P8

Starting Grid Race 3: P1        Race 3: P2

#85   Gabriel Bortoleto

“It hasn’t been an easy weekend for me. We performed well in testing, and we were among the fastest. I don’t know why, but since qualifying, we didn’t have grip on the four tyres and I couldn’t really bring them to temperature regardless of my attempts. I was 0.8s off in Q1 and 0.6s away in Q2. In race 1, I started well from P15 moving up to P11 but unfortunately, I made contact with another driver. In race 2, we had a lot of laps behind the safety car, and again we couldn’t get the temperature in the tyres. In race 3, I had a bit of difficulty despite a good start, but from the midpoint on, I had a great pace, and the grip seemed fine. Let’s now hope for a better weekend at Vallelunga!”

Qualifying 1: P15                   Fastest lap: 1'45.294

Qualifying 2: P9                     Fastest lap: 1'44.482

Starting Grid Race 1: P13      Race 1: DNF

Starting Grid Race 2: P11      Race 2: P8

Starting Grid Race 3: P6        Race 3: P8