Monza - The Euro 4 Championship 2024, the second edition of the Championship promoted by ACI Sport and WSK Promotion, concluded with Race 3 at Monza. The new Champion is Akshay Bohra, the Indian-American driver from US Racing. After two P2 finishes this weekend, Bohra entered Race 3 as the Championship leader, with only Freddie Slater from Prema Racing and Hiyu Yamakoshi from Van Amersfoort left in the title fight. However, Yamakoshi needed nothing less than a win, with Bohra finishing out of the points, to claim the title. Given these conditions, Bohra was virtually crowned Champion after the first few laps of Race 3, when Slater retired, and Yamakoshi went off track following a collision, rejoining from the back of the field. Big celebrations for the team led by Gerhard Ungar and Ralf Schumacher, with the win in the weekend's final race for the German driver Maxim Rehm. It was also the first podium of the season for Italian driver Davide Larini from PHM Aix Racing. In third place, Alpine Academy driver Kean Nakamura-Berta from Prema Racing, with this result, secured the Rookie Champion title.
In fourth position, US Racing's Australian driver Gianmarco Pradel finished ahead of the newly crowned series champion Akshay Bohra, who, after starting from seventh on the grid, ended up fifth. In sixth place was another US Racing driver, Australian Jack Beeton. Swiss driver Enea Frey from Jenzer Motorsport crossed the line in seventh, but a five-second penalty for forcing Olivieri off track dropped him down the order. Latvian driver Tomass Stolcermanis from Prema Racing thus finished seventh and the third-best Rookie, behind Maxim Rehm and Kean Nakamura-Berta. Finnish driver Luka Sammalisto from R-ace GP took eighth place. The final top 10 positions were rounded off by Italian driver Emanuele Olivieri from AKM Motorsport in ninth, and Luca Viisoreanu from Real Racing in tenth.
The last race of the Championship was spectacular, with Akshay Bohra’s coronation coming in a 30-minute + 1 lap battle full of surprises. Kean Nakamura-Berta started from pole position and was immediately challenged by Mercedes Junior Alex Powell from Prema Racing and Davide Larini. Slater’s race ended on the first lap after an off-track excursion. He returned to the pits, but his race was over. Luca Viisoreanu, the Romanian driver and Real Racing’s representative at Monza, put on an exceptionally strong performance, fighting for the podium positions and even running third at one point during Race 3. On lap two, the incident between Aurelia Nobels from ART Grand Prix and Hiyu Yamakoshi, resulting in a 10-second penalty for the Brazilian driver.
Powell, who had claimed his maiden F4 victory earlier in the weekend, damaged his front wing in the race battles and was forced to pit for repairs. The American-Jamaican driver fought his way back up to finish 14th.
Two Safety Car periods occurred in the race, with Davide Larini leading the first restart and Kean Nakamura-Berta the second, which resumed racing on the final lap. Both neutralizations were caused by incidents involving ART Grand Prix driver Bianca Bustamante. The Filipino driver managed to continue after the first incident but had a race incident and crashed into the barriers in the second, ending her race. The driver was ok after the incident. Maxim Rehm’s decisive move for his first win of the season came during the final restart, sparking a battle that also allowed Larini to advance.
The three races at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza were exceptionally lively, with frequent changes in the lead as drivers took full advantage of the slipstream on the long straights. The Temple of Speed will again host fierce battles on October 27 during the final ACI Racing Weekend of the season, with the concluding round of the Italian F.4 Championship.
Akshay Bohra: “I couldn’t ask for more. We had a suboptimal race, but I just tried to stay calm once I understood more or less what had happened. Today I became a Champion in car racing. I’ve learned a lot this year. I made some mistakes that I’ve learned so much from. This year I really felt like I gave it my all. Last year, I played it safe and maybe had decent results, but I didn’t learn much, unlike this year where I’ve learned from mistakes. Also, the heights we’ve reached have been incredible, like today. I have to thank my whole team, ADD, and US Racing for everything they’ve done for me, my family and friends, and everyone else who has supported me throughout my career and development as a driver.”
Maxim Rehm: “We came here knowing we had speed from the test day. We were generally confident. We showed that in qualifying 1 by taking pole. Unfortunately, in qualifying 2, I didn’t make the best decision about track position, and sadly, we couldn’t get a lap in, finishing last in that session. Luckily, the second-fastest lap was good enough, so we started mid-pack. In Race 3, we started from 13th. We knew we had the speed, we just needed to pull everything together. That’s what we did: we worked our way forward step by step, lap by lap, overtaking one car at a time. I ended up P2, the Safety Car restart was crucial, and it was all about getting the best speed for the first corner. I had that, and I seized the opportunity to pass Nakamura and take the win.”
Davide Larini: “I’ve been very fast since qualifying, in fact, I took pole. Unfortunately, I had some bad luck in both races. I knew this was my last chance, so I gave it everything I had. Sadly, the Safety Car kind of ruined the race by bunching us up again. In the end, I managed to finish second, thanks to the Safety Car restart. It’s a result we’ll take home, the first podium of the season, and I’m super happy.”
Kean Nakamura-Berta: “Race 3 was a decent result. P3, Rookie Champion. I’m a bit disappointed with how the race ended, leading until the last lap hurts. I knew it would be tough to hold on to the lead, especially with the long straight leading into turn 1. The Safety Car restart wasn’t ideal. The team did a really good job; they gave me a car capable of staying at the front all weekend. I’m happy with the Team and Rookie titles. I’m just a little disappointed with myself, maybe I could have pushed a bit more and held onto the lead for the final lap. Anyway, it was a really good weekend, and thanks to Prema for their hard work.”