F4 Race 1: Robinson Holds Off Craigie

Italian Formula 4 Race 1 at Imola produced a closely fought contest at the front, with Robinson (#9) converting his pole position into a victory.

Robinson led the field away from the front row alongside Craigie, with Bearman (#87) starting third. Westcott (#19) and Rodriguez (#20) completed the top five. Several drivers struggled to make clean starts, but the leading trio remained unchanged through the opening lap.

The race settled into a tight rhythm, with plenty of wheel-to-wheel action through the midfield but relatively little overtaking at the sharp end. Track limits proved to be problematic throughout the session, while Imola’s challenging Turns 14 and 19 continued to catch drivers out.

The first major interruption came on Lap 2 when Fogaca (#99) crashed at Turns 14–15, with an incident involving car #38 noted. Double yellow flags were deployed as the damaged car was recovered. Meanwhile, Cosma-Cristofor (#98) began showing impressive pace, setting a series of fastest laps.

As racing continued, the midfield remained tightly packed. Consani (#30) and Aks (#10) battled wheel-to-wheel lap after lap, with Consani managing to retain the position. Cosma-Cristofor eventually moved into seventh on Lap 7, only for Ruykov (#73) to fight back and reclaim the place.

At the front, Robinson was increasingly comfortable. He steadily extended his advantage while continuing to set fast laps, but Bearman was also finding speed and began closing in on Craigie for second.

Craigie eventually launched an attack on Robinson, attempting to go down the inside, but the pole-sitter defended successfully. Behind them, drivers continued to struggle for grip at Turns 14 and 19, while several incidents and excursions onto the gravel kept the race tense. Cortes and Kraling both pitted on Lap 8 and remained in the pits.

The officials were also busy. The incident between Pedersen (#70) and Arn (#21) at Turn 19 was placed under investigation, with Pedersen subsequently receiving a five-second penalty for causing a collision. Repetto (#6) was also warned for repeated track-limit infringements, while Maccagnani (#19) was shown the black flag with an orange disc on Lap 11, requiring an immediate pit stop for a mechanical issue.

With the race approaching its conclusion, the battle for fifth remained fiercely contested, although no driver could make a decisive move stick. There was further drama when Al Sulaiti (#26) crashed into the wall, bringing out double yellow flags at Turn 9 with just one lap remaining.

The late neutralisation gave Craigie one final opportunity to close in on Robinson. As the leaders entered the final lap, the gap was tight — but Robinson held his nerve.

The chequered flag fell with Robinson taking victory by just 0.3 seconds over Craigie, while Bearman completed the podium. Robinson also secured the fastest lap of the race, capping a controlled and ultimately successful performance from pole.