The Vallelunga weekend, valid as the first round of the E4 European Championship, has come to an end. It was a weekend where I would have liked to achieve something more in terms of results, but I still consider it positive for the work done with the team, for the pace we showed and for the progress we are continuing to build race after race.

From free practice, I had good feelings with the car and an interesting pace. In qualifying, I finished P19 in the first session and P16 in the second, on a grid that was once again very competitive and with very close gaps.

In Race 1, I started from nineteenth position and finished in P18. It was the race where I struggled the most to find the right rhythm, also because I often found myself in traffic and in the middle of the battles, where it is never easy to be consistent and make the most of the car’s potential.

Race 2 was more positive. I started from seventeenth position and finished in P15, with a better pace and some good overtakes. I felt more comfortable, had more confidence and I am happy with how I managed the race and with the feeling I had on track.

Race 3 was the one where I felt I could achieve more. I started sixteenth and, at the beginning of the race, I immediately managed to recover several positions, moving up to the top ten. Unfortunately, after a few laps, at the hairpin, I was hit by a car behind me: the driver behind made a mistake, went over the inside kerb and hit me, pushing me off track. My race ended there.

It was a pity, especially because at that moment I was in P10 and the pace was good. There is definitely a bit of disappointment, because I would have liked to bring home a better result, but at the same time I am very positive about what we showed during the weekend.

The most important thing is that I can see real progress. Already in Monza we had made a good step forward and also in Vallelunga the work with the team went in the right direction. I am gaining more and more confidence with the car, the race pace is improving and every weekend allows me to learn something more.

Now the focus is already on the next commitments. This week we will have two days of testing at Paul Ricard, where we will then return in two weeks for the second round of the E4 European Championship. We keep working with determination, ready and more motivated than ever.

Beco Bernoldi