Mixed feelings at the opening of the F4 Italy for the German team kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport
The German team kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport from berlin started into the new season of the Italian Formula 4 championship with mixed feelings last weekend (8th to 10th of April) in Misano. The best results of the racing stable from the German capital city at the 4.226 km long track with changing conditions came from the Venezuelan Maurico Baiz (twice on position six) and the Canadian Devlin DeFrancesco, who scored his first points on the positions nine and ten (23rd at the opening race) in the field of about 40 drivers. The Italian local hero of the Mücke team, Aldo Festante, finished on the positions 24, 17 and 19. His Chinese team colleague Yifei Ye finished 20th at the second run and was unlucky at the third race, when he got involved in a collision at the start. He hurt his ankle and the car was badly damaged, so he wasn’t able to start at the fourth run.
„That’s been a season opening with mixed feelings for us at the first racing weekend at the Italian Formula 4 – with misfortune and a few damages on the cars, but also great moments of our drivers“, said team principal Peter Mücke. „The qualifying race in the rain was quite bad for us, especially because our guys drove their first laps ever on a wet track. The race in the rain went a lot better.“ Mauricio Baiz was unlucky at the fourth race, when a car stopped ahead him and another car ran into his racer.
Because of the big starting field at the Italian F4, the qualifying and the first three races were held in several groups. Each driver has to participate in three races a weekend. Winners of the races in Misano at the season opening of the „Italian F.4 Championship powered by Abarth“ were the German Mick Schumacher (R 1 and 2), who is overall leader at the moment, the Mexican Raul Guzman Marchina and the Argentinian Marcos Siebert. The best placed Mücke pilot at the overall standings is Mauricio Baiz on position nine. Aldo Festante is on position 13 at the rookie ranking. The next event of the F4 Italiy is scheduled from 6th to 8th of May at the Adria Raceway.
Now, the team kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport starts the final preparation for the season opening of the ADAC Formula 4 coming weekend (15th to 17th of April) in Oschersleben. Furthermore, there will be test drives at the Sachsenring near Hohenstein-Ernstthal from Monday, 11th of April.
(Attached to this mail photos of Maurico Baiz and Devlin DeFrancesco: © www.acisportitalia.it)