Italian F4 Championship – PREMA lines up in Barcelona with new driver addition

The Italian Formula 4 Championship returns this weekend for round 6, wrapping up its summer break at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. PREMA Racing is lining up at the Spanish venue with a brand-new addition and a total of seven cars, as it looks to solidify its position at the top of the points standings with chances to secure the title in all categories. Featuring a particularly complete layout, the Spanish venue saw PREMA claim the Euro 4 Championship title last year and is now joining the Italian Championship calendar.

British racer Freddie Slater has been a dominant force in the series with 11 wins in 15 races held by the series so far. With six remaining, he has an 86-point margin over his closest competitor in overall points. Alex Powell stands fourth and despite having experienced a challenging run lately, he is leading the Rookie Championship and has set sights on a rebound. He is trailed by teammate Kean Nakamura-Berta, who claimed his first win in the series before the break at Circuit Paul Ricard and showed remarkable speed all year.

The trio of Rashid Al Dhaheri, Tomass Stolcermanis, and Dion Gowda was able to claim podiums this year in addition to multiple points finishes, so the goal will be for them to continue the progression and aim for even more impressive runs.

The team will be welcoming a new driver for the weekend with the addition of Oleksandr Bondarev. The Ukranian will graduate from the PREMA Racing kart operation. A Williams Racing Driver Academy member, Bondarev comes from a successful karting career, having won the WSK Super Master Series, CIK-FIA European Championship, and WSK Champions Cup in the last three years.

Angelo Rosin – Team Manager
“With the good results we achieved so far, we are looking to the final two events with good confidence although – as always – this championship is so competitive, and we have seen how small increments can make the tide swing quite easily. So it’s 100 percent focus required again. It’s great to welcome Oleksandr to the team. He has achieved great results in karting and we’re delighted to have him for his auto racing debut. It will be a steep learning curve for sure, but we will support him to the best of our potential.”