4 August 2025 – The fifth round of the Italian F4 Championship took place in Imola. It was an eventful round, as it was exceptionally reduced to two races instead of three after a major pile-up in race 2. R-ace GP finished three times in the top 10 with Alex Powell and Emanuele Olivieri.
Free practice
The first part of Friday was dedicated to free practice. Emanuele Olivieri (#68) finished in the top 10 in both sessions (9th and then 8th). The other drivers were further back: Alex Powell (#41) was 17th and 18th, Oleksandr Savinkov (#52) was 25th and 26th, Guy Albag (#44) was 27th and 35th, and Emily Cotty (#42) was 31st and 30th.
Qualifying
Things got serious at the end of the day with qualifying for Race 1. Emanuele Olivieri secured a respectable 7th place ahead of Alex Powell in 12th. Emily Cotty was 23rd, while Guy Albag and Oleksandr Savinkov were 31st and 33rd.
Emanuele Olivieri improved his time in the second qualifying session and finished 5th. Alex Powell was again 12th Emily Cotty 19th. Oleksandr Savinkov and Guy Albag were relegated to the back of the grid.
Race 1: Top 10 for Powell and Olivieri
The first race of the weekend got underway late on Saturday morning. Alex Powell got off to a good start, gaining three places to slot in just behind his teammate Emanuele Olivieri. The race was interrupted for the first time by a yellow flag. At the restart, Guy Albag was involved in a collision and went off the track, forcing him to retire. Another yellow flag was shown, and when the race restarted, Powell overtook Olivieri to move into 7th place. Emily Cotty, on the other hand, went off the track and was unable to cross the finish line.
Alex Powell finished 7th, just ahead of Emanuele Olivieri in 8th. Oleksandr Savinkov finished 26th.
After a major crash involving around 15 cars (but from which all drivers emerged unscathed), Race 2 was cancelled.
Race 3: Powell 7th, Olivieri unlucky
With the emotions of the previous day behind them, the drivers were ready for the final race on Sunday morning. Emanuele Olivieri started 5th and Alex Powell 10th. At the start, Powell managed to gain a place just moments before a yellow flag was waved. When the race restarted, Olivieri, neck and neck with a rival, went off the track and punctured a tyre. The Italian pitted and rejoined at the back of the field. Powell, still going strong, moved up to 7th place and held on to it until the chequered flag. Behind him, Oleksandr Savinkov made a strong comeback to finish 15th. Guy Albag and Emily Cotty both crossed the finish line in 22nd and 23rd place respectively.
It’s now time for the summer break! The team and drivers will be back in top form for the sixth round of the championship on 20 September in Barcelona.
To watch the races, go to the championship’s Youtube channel.
You can read about the previous round here.
To follow our performances throughout the season, check out our Facebook and Instagram pages!