LUKA SAMMALISTO HAD A DISASTROUS WEEKEND IN IMOLA
The fifth Italian Formula 4 race weekend of the season failed to add to Sammalisto’s points tally. In Thursday’s free practice Sammalisto still set the fastest time, but otherwise the weekend, marred by a safety car and red flags, was a big disappointment.
– The weekend was a big disappointment. I knew the pace was there, but I couldn’t really show it after Thursday’s test day, says Luka.
After free practice, expectations were high, but qualifying turned out to be a real tar run.
– The qualifications went completely under the bench and against my own and the team’s goals. In the first qualifying session, the red flag came out just as I had warmed up the tyres and had to start the fastest lap. Add to that one mistake of my own on a fast lap and the result was not at all what we were looking for. In the second qualifying session we entered the track at completely the wrong time and every lap there was someone to overtake.
Sammalisto started the first race from the middle stages. Due to a stumped start Sammalisto dropped to last place. The safety car went three times to the track and at the end of the bad start Luka ended up to 22nd place. The race itself was only 7 laps. In the second race of the weekend there was a massive group crash right at the start line. Luka survived the crash and got a good start, but the race was stopped and eventually cancelled due to schedule delays.
– There was not much to tell from the first two races. In the third race, I started to find a good pace and little by little I made a good climb and was fighting for positions 10-14, until I got in contact with a rival and the race ended on grass, Sammalisto continues.
The next race weekend in the series will be held in Barcelona, Spain, on 19-21 September. And the testing in Barcelona will be in mid-August.
– Imola was the so-called “Weekend to forget”. Now we take a little holiday at home and reset the weekend in our minds and head to Barcelona for testing,” concludes Sammalisto.