SMP Racing junior driver Michael Belov finished second in the first race of the seventh Italian Formula 4 Championship's round, which takes place on October 18-20 at the Italian circuit Monza.
On Friday, there were two qualifying rounds, in which Belov was second and fifth fastest, respectively. In the first race of the weekend, Michael started Race 1 in the rain from second position behind the safety car. In difficult weather conditions, the Russian made a mistake and let two rivals pass him, but then was able to win back his positions, avoiding contact with other drivers, and finished second.
“We had two strategies for qualifying rounds: either to go at our own pace or try and take advantage of the slipstream, if it’s possible,” SMP Racing driver Michael Belov said. “In the first round, I found a good position on the track, took advantage of the slipstream and drove a second-fastest lap time. In the second qualifying round, I was too close to the driver in front of me, which slowed me down a bit in the corners, and, as a result, I was only fifth fastest.
"The first race was rainy, the start was with the safety car. At the first restart, I was on the slippery part of the track, where there was bad grip and no direct way to a straight line and that’s where I lost two positions. During the race there was a lot of contact in the pack, so the safety car appeared a couple of times on the track. Thanks to this, I was able to regain my second position. I even tried to fight for the victory: the third restart turned out to be good, but, unfortunately, I could not overtake the leader and finished second.”

The last two races of the Italian Formula 4 season will take place on Sunday, October 20.