23 June 2025 – The third round of the Italian Formula 4 championship was held this weekend at the legendary ‘Temple of Speed’ at Monza. Despite a good pace in the race, the mixed qualifying results were detrimental to R-ace GP and its five cars. The team left Monza with four top 10 finishes and a win for Emily Cotty in the women’s category.

Free practice

The weekend kicked off on Friday morning with the first free practice session. Alex Powell (#41) finished 20th, followed by Emanuele Olivieri (#68) in 21st position. Oleksandr Savinkov (#52), Guy Albag (#44) and Emily Cotty (#42) were 24th, 36th and 38th respectively.

The second session saw a slight improvement for Emanuele Olivieri, who set the 16th fastest time. Alex Powell finished 25th, while Emily Cotty and Guy Albag remained at the back of the grid. Oleksandr Savinkov did not take part in the session due to a mechanical problem.

Qualifying

The two qualifying sessions did not go in R-ace GP’s favour. In Q1, Emanuele Olivieri set a modest 11th fastest time, Alex Powell was 18th, and the other drivers were relegated to better than 25th place.

In Q2, Emanuele Olivieri remained close to the top 10 with a 12th place, while Alex Powell, Emily Cotty and Oleksandr Savinkov were still some way off (P27, P29 and P34). An electronic problem prevented Guy Albag from taking part in the session.

Race 1: Emanuele Olivieri in the top 10

The first race got underway on Saturday morning. Emanuele Olivieri lost a few places, while Alex Powell made a fine comeback to finish 5th. Unfortunately, the Jamaican driver was pushed by a competitor during a restart. Emanuele Olivieri (#68) finished 9th, Savinkov (#52) 14th, Powell (#41) 16th, Cotty (#42) 23rd (2nd in the women’s category), and Albag (#44) 25th.

Race 2: 6th place for Powell, disappointment for Olivieri and first points for Savinkov

Alex Powell made an excellent start to Race 2 and gained eight places. The race was disturbed by several incidents and yellow flags. By the second restart, Emanuele Olivieri was firmly in 8th place and gradually closing in on the top 5. Alex Powell was close behind in 10th position. As Olivieri battled for 4th place, the Italian made contact with another competitor and stopped on the track, putting an end to his hopes of a podium finish.

Alex Powell finished 6th, while Oleksandr Savinkov came 10th and scored his first points this season in Italian F4 (after starting from 34th place). Guy Albag was 20th, Emily Cotty 30th (3rd in the women’s category) and Emanuele Olivieri 34th.

Race 3: impressive comeback by Emanuele Olivieri

After starting 20th, Emanuele Olivieri (#68) finished 5th on Sunday in the final race of the weekend. Alex Powell (#41) finished 18th, while Emily Cotty (#42) climbed 10 places to finish 24th and take victory in the women’s category. Guy Albag finished 29th, while Oleksandr Savinkov (#52) was forced to retire after being hit by a competitor.

The Monza weekend left a taste of unfinished business. Although the pace shown in the race showed great potential, poor qualifying and a number of race incidents weighed heavily on the overall results. 

Nevertheless, there were some positive notes: a first points finish for Savinkov, some impressive comebacks, and another win in the women’s category for Emily Cotty.

See you at Mugello on July 13 for round 4 of the championship.

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!

4 March 2025 – The Italian Formula 4 championship kicked off this weekend on the Misano circuit. Emanuele Olivieri, F4 Middle East Champion, quickly established himself as a serious contender for the championship by finishing on the third step of the podium on two occasions. 

With such a packed field, the weekend’s format was redesigned: qualifying took place in two separate series, while the drivers were split into three groups for the races. Emanuele Olivieri (#68), Alex Powell (#41), Emily Cotty (#42), Oleksandr Savinkov (#52) and Guy Albag (#44) have to contend with a highly competitive field. 

Free practice

From the very first free practice, the drivers had to adapt to the circuit conditions. Emanuele Olivieri immediately placed himself in the leading group with a 5ᵉ place in Free Practice 1, followed by a 6ᵉ position in the second session. Alex Powell, Oleksandr Savinkov, Guy Albag and Emily Cotty all improve their performances in Free Practice 2.

Qualifying

Emanuele Olivieri’s promising talent was confirmed in qualifying, where he set the 4thᵉ fastest time overall. A solid result in a tough field, which puts him among the favourites for the races to come.

Race 1

In the first race on Saturday 3 May, Oleksandr Savinkov finished 16ᵉ, ahead of Emily Cotty 17ᵉ, who claimed victory in the women’s category. Guy Albag took 18ᵉ place.

Race 2

Emanuele Olivieri takes the podium with a fine 3ᵉ place, while Alex Powell secures the top 15 with an 11ᵉfinish. Oleksandr Savinkov finished 12ᵉ and Guy Albag 21ᵉ. After being pushed off the track by a competitor, Emily Cotty had to retire.

Race 3 

Consistency pays off for Emanuele Olivieri, who takes his second consecutive podium (P3). Alex Powell confirms his progress with an 8ᵉ place.

Race 4

In the final race of the weekend, Emanuele Olivieri finished 4ᵉ, on the doorstep of a third podium. Alex Powell took 10ᵉ place. Oleksandr Savinkov finishes 17ᵉ, while Emily Cotty, 25ᵉ overall, takes a second win in the women’s category. Guy Albag finished 34ᵉ.

After this intense first round, all eyes now turn to the second stage of the championship in Vallelunga on 24 and 25 May.

To watch the races, go to the championship’s Youtube channel.

To follow our performances throughout the season, check out our Facebook and Instagram pages!