Trident scores points at F4 Italia debut in Misano

Misano was the scenery of Trident Motorsport's first ever weekend in the competitive Italian Formula 4 sseries. The Adriatic circuit saw in action Swiss driver Florentin Hattemer, Brazilians Bernardo "Beco" Bernoldi and Augustus Toniolo, Bulgarian Lyuboslav "Lubo" Ruykov, and Czechia’s Dominik Šimek. Given the large number of entrants, after qualifying, it was necessary to divide all the drivers into three groups for the "qualifying races": Šimek was in Group A, Bernoldi, Toniolo, and Ruykov in Group B, and Hattemer in Group C. Hattemer performed excellently, finishing eighth in Saturday's first race, which pitted Groups B and C against each other. Bernoldi also scored points, finishing 13th after a convincing comeback.

In the second race (Group A/B), it was Toniolo who brought home points for the team. Sunday, unlike the previous one, was affected by the risk of rain, which, however, remained at bay except for a few  drops. In Race 3, between Groups A and C, the safety car began the race, "leading" for the first two laps for safety reasons. Once given the green light, Hattemer and Šimek excelled despite some unexpected events, and the former (12th) enjoyed further success.

Unfortunately for the latter, however, finishing near the top 20 wasn't enough to secure a spot in the "final race," in which the other four entered, having been among the top 36 in the combined standings. Toniolo, at the start, was involved in the initial pileup, and Hattemer also endured a troubled half hour. Bernoldi and Šimek, on the other hand, delivered cleaner performances, capping off an overall satisfying weekend.

The next round of the season will be held at the Vallelunga circuit on the weekend of May 24th.

Bernando Bernoldi:"The weekend went well. Initially, my pace wasn't good between free practice and qualifying; I wasn't very consistent, and we still had to find the right setup. In race 1, however, I think it went pretty well; perhaps I could have gained a few more positions, but I can't complain. In race 2, I could have done a little better in the early laps, but towards the end it was okay. The final race also wasn't all smooth sailing, but overall, we can be satisfied."

Dominik Šimek:"The weekend started well with free practice, but in qualifying I struggled to put together a lap, and that didn't allow me to get off to a good start. In race 1, I had a great start, but due to an accident, I suffered a puncture and I had to return to the pits. In race 2, the track was slightly damp: I managed the start well, but in the midfield, I struggled to get through the pack. The base is good, but we need to work on managing the battles."

Florentin Hattemer:"Since it's the team's first weekend in this category, it went well. We took two second-place finishes in the rookie standings (in race 1 and race 3), and only the final race, where I lost my front wing, wasn't positive. I think we can achieve some success between now and the end of the year. I'm proud of the team and I'd like to thank them for this opportunity and for the weekend in general: let's keep improving!"

Lyuboslav Ryukov:"Overall, a good start; we improved from session to session. I struggled a lot at the beginning, but in the final race I had no problems: I started 35th and finished 17th. The next round will be at Vallelunga, and we hope to improve further."

Augustus Toniolo:"I immediately felt comfortable starting from Thursday's tests, managing to get the car into the top 10 in my qualifying heat. Before race 1, I was a little nervous, but I overcame that, even though an accident caused me to get a puncture and retire. Despite a grid penalty, the second race saw me climb back up to the points. This allowed me to participate in the final race, but an accident at the start put an end to my day: it happens..."