The fifth round of the Italian Formula 4 Championship, held in Imola during the ACI Racing Weekend, was not the weekend I had hoped for.

From qualifying, we struggled to collect what we wanted. The session was interrupted by a red flag and, at the restart, we had only a few laps available to improve. Unfortunately, I got caught a little in traffic and was not able to find a truly clean lap. This affected the rest of the weekend, forcing me to start further back in the races.

When you start in the middle of the group, in such a competitive championship with around 48 drivers entered, it is always difficult to move back up. In Race 1, I had a contact and was forced to return to the pits to replace the front nose, losing a lot of time. Race 2 was not easy either: the pace was not what I wanted and, on the final lap, there was a contact under braking at Tamburello that sent both of us wide into the gravel.

The most positive note of the weekend came in the Final. Managing to get into it was already important, considering that only the best 36 out of around 48 entered drivers take part. I started from the last row, but I managed to recover several positions, make some good overtakes and finish in P20. It was the race where I had the best pace and where I was able to express myself the most.

I am certainly not satisfied with the final results, but difficult weekends like this are also part of the journey. Now we need to analyse everything with the team, understand where I can improve and keep working to find the right balance with the car.

The focus remains high. In two weeks, we will be in Misano for the sixth round of the Italian Formula 4 Championship, ready to restart with determination.

Beco Bernoldi