Italian F4: Kush Maini scores season's first podium at Imola

The 2017 Italian Formula 4 Championship returned to action after over a month’s break to start Round 5 at Imola. Kush Maini finished ninth in the two practice sessions on Friday.

Being overlooked by elder brother and Haas F1 junior Arjun Maini during the weekend, Kush improved his times in the two qualifying sessions, later in the day.

The Indian was sixth in Qualifying 1, merely 0.152s off pole-sitter Prema’s Marcus Armstrong. The Kiwi taking pole from teammate Juri Vips and Jenzer’s Job van Uitert.

In Qualifying 2, Maini improved in his Spilt 2 timings to take provisional pole, before his time was beaten by teammate van Uitret by 0.115s on his final flier. Bhaitech’s Lorenzo Colombo rounded off the Top 3.

Race 1

The first race of the weekend started under sunny conditions, as Maini lost a couple of positions in the opening lap to be eighth.

The Indian had Prema’s Enzo Fittipaldi on his tail until the safety car period. Once it was green, the Brazilian took the inside line on a left-hander and sneak past Maini for eighth.

After Fittipaldi cleared Bhaitech’s Leonardo Lorandi on the next lap, Maini followed him to move back to eighth. He gained two more places when Fittipaldi and Jenzer’s Federico Malvestiti collided.

The Indian was tucked behind Bhaitech’s Sebastian Fernandez Wahbeh for three laps, before he made the move going around the outside of the Venezuelan to take fifth.

Maini soon caught up the battle for the final podium position, with Mucke Motorsport’s Lirim Zendelli in third leading Bhaitech’s Lorenzo Colombo.

After few laps of trying, Maini eventually managed to take Colombo on the finish line, separated by just 0.515s, as Armstrong fended off van Uitret to win the race, while Zendelli rounded out the Top 3.

Race 2

The second race on Sunday morning started behind the safety car after a delay due to treacherous weather conditions at Imola.

The race ran behind the safety car for four laps, before it went green. Once it got going, van Uitret kept his lead from Maini and Colombo on a slippery track.

The Indian went through a steady race then on, but towards the end stages, he had Vips all over on his rear, after the Estonian cleared Colombo on Lap 6.

With two laps remaining, Maini made a small mistake which allowed Vips to close on him further and eventually take the place on the final lap.

The Indian had to settle for third, his first podium in the season, while teammate van Uitret took his third win in a shortened race, to close in on Armstrong in the title battle.

Race 3

It was another safety car start in the shortened final race of the weekend, but this time only as a precaution for a lap, on a drying track.

Once the race got going, Maini tucked himself behind his teammate van Uitret, trying to find a way past the Dutchman to claim his maiden win.

At the same time, Vips made his way up to third from sixth, joining the Top 2 drivers in the race win battle. With van Uitret building a marginal gap, Maini went into the defence mode soon from the menacing-looking Vips.

The two came to blows on Lap 5, when the Estonian tried a move on the Indian, which resulted in both having a moment - dropping down the order.

Vips rejoined the race in sixth, while Maini was 10th behind Colombo, with van Uitret in command from Lorandi and Armstrong.

The Indian quickly cleared Colombo to move up to ninth, slotting himself behind teammate Malvestiti with five laps remaining in the race.

But before Maini could make further inroads, the safety car was pulled out on Lap 7 to recover the stationary DR Formula car of Artem Petrov.

As a result, the race ended behind the safety car with van Uitret taking another win as Lorandi and Armstrong completed the Top 3. Maini had to be content with ninth, after putting in the second best lap of the race.

After five rounds in the 2017 season, Armstrong leads the drivers' standings, with Maini improving by three places to be 10th on 71 points. The championship now heads to Mugello for the Round 6 during the October 6-8 weekend.

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