Following the record-breaking season opener at Misano, which saw Prema Racing’s Turkish driver Hasan Alp Aksoy emerge as the first championship leader of the year, alongside race victories scored by Italian driver Niccolò Maccagnani, representing the Ferrari Driver Academy with Prema Racing, and Finland’s Luka Sammalisto of US Racing, the Italian Formula 4 paddock is ready to return to action for the second round of the season.
The championship now heads to the Autodromo Piero Taruffi in Vallelunga, located in Campagnano di Roma (Rome), where another outstanding entry list is expected, with more than 40 drivers representing 13 teams.
The grid once again features some of the most promising talents on the international single-seater scene, including several drivers supported by official Formula 1 academies. Since its inception, the Italian F4 Championship has established itself as one of the most important development platforms for young drivers aiming to reach the top levels of motorsport.
Among the drivers who previously competed in the series are Lance Stroll, the inaugural champion in 2014, as well as current Formula 1 stars Lando Norris, Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad. The list also includes two more Italian F4 champions: Oliver Bearman, winner of the 2021 title and whose brother Thomas is currently competing with Van Amersfoort Racing, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, 2022 champion and current Formula 1 championship leader.
Vallelunga will once again feature four races over the course of the weekend: three qualifying races that will determine access to the Final, reserved for the top 36 drivers of the event. All races will award full points under the new 2026 scoring system, which grants 30 points to the winner down to one point for 15th place.
The weekend schedule will begin on Thursday, May 21, with pre-event testing. Drivers, already split into two sessions, will alternate on track from 1:00 PM until 6:20 PM.
On Friday, May 22, the event officially gets underway with free practice sessions in the morning:
Session 1 from 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM and from 12:50 PM to 1:20 PM
Session 2 from 9:10 AM to 9:40 AM and from 1:30 PM to 2:00 PM
Qualifying will then take place in the evening:
Session 1 from 6:10 PM to 6:30 PM
Session 2 from 6:40 PM to 7:00 PM
Based on the results, the three race groups will be formed. The fastest driver overall will be assigned to Group A and will start from pole position in two races, while the fastest driver from the other qualifying session will be assigned to Group B and will start from pole position for Race 1.
Race 1 (Groups B and C) will open the competitive action of the ACI Racing Weekend at Vallelunga on Saturday, May 23, at 11:40 AM. Later that day, at 6:00 PM, the Italian F.4 Championship drivers will close the schedule with Race 2 (Groups A and B).
On Sunday, May 24, the single-seaters of the championship promoted by ACI Sport and WSK Promotion will once again open and close the day’s schedule: Race 3 (Groups A and C) at 9:00 AM, followed by the Final at 3:45 PM featuring the top 36 drivers from the first three races.
All races will run for 25 minutes plus one lap and will be broadcast live with Italian commentary on ACI Sport TV (Sky channel 228, Tivùsat channel 52 and www.acisport.tv), as well as streamed on the ACI Sport TV YouTube and Facebook channels.
English-language live coverage will be available on the Italian F4 Championship YouTube and Facebook channels, in addition to the championship’s extensive international broadcaster network covering the season worldwide.
Spectator access to the circuit will be free upon registration via the official circuit website:
https://ticket.vallelunga.it/it/racing/aci-racing-weekend-21-24-maggio-2026/