History repeats itself at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, host of the ninth ACI Racing Weekend of the season and the third and final round of the Euro 4 Championship. Once again, the rain made the track slippery, but Freddie Slater managed to come out on top, setting the fastest time of the session. The young British talent from Prema Racing replicated his morning performance, showing that he isn’t satisfied yet after his recent Italian F.4 Championship title win in Barcelona. Already the championship leader heading into the weekend, Slater reaffirmed his dominance by setting the fastest lap of the day with a 2’00.81, making it clear he’s aiming for a double title.
Behind him, his three teammates completed Prema Racing’s dominance. Anglo-Japanese Kean Nakamura-Berta, an Alpine Academy member, finished Free Practice 2 0.687 seconds behind Slater. Close behind, with a margin of 0.755, was Mercedes junior driver Alex Powell, representing both the USA and Jamaica, followed by Latvian driver Tomass Stolcermanis, 0.869 seconds behind.
In fourth place was Gianmarco Pradel from US Racing, with a gap of 1.174 seconds. Right behind him, Japanese driver Hiyu Yamakoshi from Van Amersfoort Racing secured fifth place with a gap of 1.305 seconds. Finnish driver Luka Sammalisto from R-ace GP finished seventh, 1.452 seconds off the leader. Eighth place went to Gustav Jonsson (Van Amersfoort Racing), who matched his placement from the first session, finishing with a 1.463-second gap. Ninth was Enzo Yeh from Taipei, also with R-ace GP, with a 1.472-second margin. Italian driver Emanuele Olivieri from AKM Motorsport completed the top 10, with a 1.478-second gap.
Free Practice 2 marked the end of opportunities for teams to test their car setups in a day characterized by persistent rain, which only stopped in the final moments of the session. However, tomorrow’s weather forecast predicts clear skies with temperatures ranging from 13°C to 21°C.
The schedule for Saturday, October 5th, will start with qualifying: the first session will run from 8:30 to 8:45, followed by the second session from 8:55 to 9:10. Race 1 will take place at 14:50. On Sunday, October 6th, Race 2 will start at 8:40, followed by the final race of the 2024 Euro 4 Championship at 15:40.
Each of the three races this weekend will last 30 minutes + 1 lap and will be streamed live on the Euro 4 Championship’s YouTube and Facebook channels, as well as on ACI Sport TV (Sky channel 228, Tivù Sat channel 52, and streaming on www.acisport.it). Furthermore, the broadcast will reach an international network, including the DAZN platform, ensuring global visibility for a championship that continues to grow in popularity within the junior racing series landscape.