Tatuus iMagazine

Formula 4 is enduring continuous growth, as proved by the 37 cars that took the start of the Italian championship at Le Castellet. The 21‐car field that lined up for the start of 2020 at Misano, in the first race after the beginning of the Covid‐19 pandemic, is a distant memory. "I think it is more fairs to look at the late‐2020 rather than those at the beginning of the year. In the first part of last season, there were still many logistic restrictions, as well as an uncertain economic situation. Then, the car counts increased significantly, and the start of 2021 confirmed the growth, both in Formula 4 and in karting. In general, motorsport suffered during the 2020 season, but it seems globally in good health in 2021. The impression is that it had fewer repercussions compared to other businesses." More Formula 4 championships have been growing exponentially, like the Spanish one… "I think they have worked very well, finding several teams interested in the series. In the last couple of years, they managed to increase their car counts. Given a large number of drivers interested in Formula 4, I believe there is room for more than one championship in Europe, even if the Italian series is still the benchmark, as highlighted by the number of foreign drivers and teams". Starting from 2021, the Formula 2 and Formula 3 weekends have only one grid out of three set by qualifying, while a reverse grid for race 1 and 2 a reverse grid is used. What's your opinion about this format? "Personally, I don't believe in reverse grids. I believe that performance and competition should not be compromised by an artificial inversion of the starting order. I think some might consider it more spectacular, but when you choose to follow the show at all costs, you sometimes take too many risks, penalizing the fastest drivers, and having slower and less experienced ones starting at the front, which sometimes creates critical issues on the track. In 2014, before the start of the championship, we discussed this possibility for one or more races with the federation, but I was against it."