At the Italian F4 Championship’s second event at Misano Circuit, all podium positions were swept by PREMA Powerteam drivers… except for one spot. That went to Zachary ‘Zach’ David who spoiled their dominance last May with his 3rd place finish at the final race of the weekend.
Coming from a successful season debut at Imola, Zach was looking forward to race at the technical 4.064 km track just an hour’s drive down south. However, the Filipino driver immediately knew that overtaking here will be a bit of a challenge. He also had to manage tire degradation given the circuit’s surface and layout. Still, US Racing did a stellar job to find the best setup for his #20 entry during Free Practice and the Official Tests that he was consistently within the Top 10 in the time tables.
But the field was so competitive that less than half a second separated P1 up to P10 during Qualifying. Zach was 0.197 secs off pole at best yet was only good enough for P7 on the grid.
It was just unfortunate that all his hard work was undone in a matter of several hundred meters in Race 1. Contact with another driver caused a puncture at the start and forced him to retire. Thankfully, the car sustained no damage and he was back ready to fight in Race 2.
Zach was able to pick up 2 positions in the opening laps before settling into P6. He then attempted to climb higher up the standings, but simply didn’t have the pace to find a way past the other drivers. At the end of 20 laps, he would cross the finish line 6th overall and claim his first Rookie podium of the weekend in 3rd.
Starting from the second row of the grid in Race 3 gave him a better shot at the PREMA drivers. He had good pace and stuck with McLaren Formula 1 junior driver Ugo Ugochukwu from start-to-finish. Zach eventually took the chequered flag in 3rd overall (and 2nd amongst the Rookies) to break PREMA’s podium lockout.
The lone Filipino driver on the grid is currently 4th overall in the Drivers’ Standings after only 2 rounds. The Italian F4 Championship will head to the famed Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium for Round 3 on the 26th/28th of May.
Zach David: “Overall a good weekend. Broke the Prema hold on the podium in Race 3. Good improvements made, consistent point finishes, and another podium means we have many things to look forward to in the third round at Spa.”
Zach David is sponsored by Ceramic Pro, Ceramic Pro Express, Kavaca PPF, Stilo Helmets, Eeetwell, Attard Baldacchino, and Exoshield, with support from Petron Corporation, Ravenol, JG Summit Olefins Corporation, AlbertSmith Signs, Time Attack Manila, Everpower, FB Hout, Pet One Petfood, 3CX, and Malta Motorsports Federation.
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