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.