Christian Costoya finally broke through. The McLaren junior claimed his maiden Italian Formula 4 victory in a thrilling conclusion to the second race at Misano, as polesitter Teo Borenstein and race one winner Ary Bansal collided, opening the door for Costoya to sweep into the lead at the final corner.
From the start, Borenstein, starting from pole, had to work overtime to hold off Bansal. The Jenzer Motorsport driver used every inch of the track, and more, to keep the faster Bansal at bay, weaving down the straights to break the slipstream. However, this intense battle allowed Costoya and US Racing's Edu Robinson to close in, forming a lead quartet as the race entered its final laps.
As the leaders began their last lap, Borenstein was slow out of the final turn. Bansal immediately attacked around the outside of Turn 1, which becomes the inside of Turn 2. Borenstein fought back, but both ran wide. Costoya, lurking just behind, seized the opportunity and swept around the outside to take the lead. At the next corner, Borenstein and Bansal made contact, collecting Robinson in the process. Bansal pulled off, his hopes of a double win dashed, while Robinson and Borenstein limped to the flag in seventh and 23rd places respectively.
This chaos promoted R-ace GP's Kenzo Craigie and Jenzer Motorsport's Elia Weiss to the podium. The pair had been fighting at the front of a five-car battle involving Prema's Alp Aksoy, Trident's Augustus Toniolo, and US Racing's Noah Killion. Craigie and Weiss capitalized on the situation to secure a brilliant result.
For Costoya, this win was especially sweet after a challenging season. "Consistency and tyre management were key," he said. "You could see towards the end they were struggling a bit more. On the last lap, we tried the move around the outside and unfortunately they crashed on the inside. I think we deserved this win for the amazing job the team is doing. Let's keep it up."
The race took place in much better weather conditions compared to Friday's heavy rain. Temperatures were in the mid-20s Celsius. The morning's first heat, featuring Groups B and C, was a more subdued affair with Bansal taking a comfortable victory from Aksoy. The Indian driver claimed his second win of the year. "We managed to get a really good start, but Aksoy also got a good start," he said. "From then on, it was just about staying in front and putting in consistent laps, because overtaking here is very difficult."
A coming-together between front-row starter Trident's Florentin Hattemer and Dean Pedersen of CRAM Motorsport on lap four brought out the first safety car. US Racing's Ludovico Busso inherited third but had to fight off a charging David Walther from Maffi Racing to hold onto the final podium position. Meanwhile, Kenzo Craigie, a Mercedes-AMG junior, impressed by finishing at the front of the remaining field, cementing his status as a young talent to watch.
Baca Juga
Targett/Smollen raih kemenangan perdana di GT World Challenge Australia Sydney setelah drama mesin Pires dan hukuman Ojeda. Simak ulasan lengkapnya.
Duo rookie Ryder Exton dan Jayden Johnson raih kemenangan kedua GT4 Australia dalam balapan malam yang dramatis, kalahkan pemimpin klasemen Jett Murray.
Montesa meluncurkan gama 2027 dengan pembaruan dekorasi pada Cota 301RR dan 4RT 260R, serta mempertahankan 4Ride tanpa perubahan. Simak detailnya.
Lanjutkan dengan Google
Diskusi & Komentar (0)
Mari Bergabung dalam Diskusi!
Masuk dengan mudah untuk mulai memberikan komentar, membalas, dan berinteraksi dengan pembaca lainnya.
Komentar Terbaru
Belum ada komentar. Jadilah yang pertama!