F4 Academy: Peugeot sets the pace in Qualifying at Misano

Even though the Qualifying session took place at the end of the day, the temperature in the air and on the ground was still high under the Adriatic sun. Very interesting to follow, it led to numerous changes in the ranking. But when Enzo Peugeot started to put in a series of laps at full throttle, he was firmly ensconced in 1st place and no one was able to dislodge him.

“The track was dirty at the start of the session, so I had to wait a few minutes before I could fully exploit the efficiency of my car,” explained Enzo. “When I felt that the grip was there, I attacked as hard as I could and that’s when I set my best times. This first pole position of the season is a perfect way to start this meeting.”

The contenders for the title of French F4 Champion took it in turns to set some excellent times. Canadian Kevin Foster and Frenchman Romain Andriolo took it in turns to sneak into the lead, but in the end it was Evan Giltaire who came closest to Peugeot at the end of the session to win his place on the front row for Race 1, just 26 hundredths clear of Andriolo.

Constantly on the pace, Edgar Pierre and Romanian Andrei Duna enjoyed their best Qualifying of the season, taking 4th and 5th places. Despite being the fastest driver in the morning free session, Foster had to be content with 6th position, with an extremely small gap over the drivers who would start ahead of him. American Garrett Berry confirmed his position in 7th place, ahead of local driver Leonardo Megna of Italy.

As well as completing the top 10, Karel Schulz and Louis Schlesser will have the honour of starting on the front row in Race 2 on the reverse grid principle, with Louis on pole. Unfortunately for Enzo Richer, he was penalised, losing precious places before Race 1. Although they are currently 5th and 6th respectively in the provisional championship standings, Japan’s Hiyu Yamakoshi and Belgium’s Yani Stevenheydens could only manage 17th and 23rd.

In Race 3, Enzo Peugeot will also start from pole position ahead of Evan Giltaire and Romain Andriolo, based on the aggregate of each driver’s second best laps. Andrei Duna will start 4th ahead of Edgar Pierre.

> F4 Misano 2023 programme

Saturday 15th July: Race 1 (11:10 – 11:40) and Race 2 (18:50 – 19:20)
Sunday 16th July: Race 3 (11:45 – 12:15)

Info FFSA Academy / Photo © KSP – Guillaume Veuve