Luka Sammalisto, the 16-year-old Formula 4 driver from Finland, was injured last Friday morning during the free practice session of the F4 Italian Championship series in Mugello.

What initially seemed like a minor incident turned out to have serious consequences for the tenacious young Finn. Sammalisto was transferred to a hospital where imaging studies revealed fractures in three vertebrae. While the fractures are stable, eliminating the most critical risks, the injury has necessitated a month-long rehabilitation period.

Since Friday, Sammalisto has been recuperating in a local hospital, eagerly awaiting the green light to return home. Due to his condition, he will be absent from the upcoming F4 Italian Championship -weekend in Paul Richard, scheduled for just over a week from now.

At the Mugello hospital, Sammalisto has been strictly confined to bed rest. Throughout this challenging period, he has been surrounded by an incredible support system.

Sammalisto’s manager, Giovanni Minardi, has been presence at the hospital. With Minardi’s Italian heritage, communication with the medical team has been seamless. Minardi’s support extends beyond logistics, providing invaluable emotional strength to Sammalisto during his recovery. Juuso-Matti Pajuranta, Sammalisto’s driving coach, has played a pivotal role as well.

“Both Giovanni’s and Juuso-Matti’s help and support have been incredible. Me and my parents are immensely grateful for them.”

“I have received an incredible amount of support from various people. It’s really comforting to know I’m not alone and that there are so many caring people around. I want to say a big heartfelt thanks to everyone!”

“This Friday, I’ll be back in Finland. The anticipation is building, and I can’t wait to be home! During the following weeks, it’s crucial to avoid all kinds of back bending and twisting movements. I will be using back extension braces to keep my back in the correct position. The most important thing is to initiate the healing process properly. Getting home plays a significant role in that recovery. Having family and friends around is invaluable. Plus, I get to enjoy homemade food made by my mom!”

Despite this setback, the resilient driver is determined to make a full recovery and return to the track stronger than ever.
Sammalisto is expected to make a comeback for the Barcelona race weekend, scheduled for September 27-29, 2024

Finnish formula driver Luka Sammalisto is improving his performance as the season progresses in the Italian F4 series. The Imola race offered a lot of positives but also technical challenges, which left Luka from the rookie driver’s podium position just one place short twice.
Earlier this year, Sammalisto also took another step closer to professional motorsport. Luka signed a management contract with the Italian Minardi Management. The company’s owner, Giovanni Minardi, acts as Luka’s manager and handles all contract negotiations. Sammalisto is the first Finnish driver on Minardi’s list, which also includes F2 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Luka Sammalisto: It was great to become a part of Minardi Management. Giovanni is a true professional and takes care of practically all matters and negotiations related to me. Final decisions are made together, but everything else is handled through the manager. Giovanni always approaches things from the driver’s perspective, which is important for a young driver.

The Imola race weekend began with three collective tests and two official free practice sessions. Sammalisto’s test program included a long list of technical adjustments in preparation for the weekend’s races.

Luka Sammalisto: The collective tests went pretty much according to the program, that was, searching for settings. We tested a lot of different things and didn’t expect any top times at all. However, in the combined times of the three tests, I was in 15th place, which was decent. The Imola track felt good right from the first run.

The official free practices went even better for Luka, with positions of P10 and P8. The car worked well with both old and new tires, and expectations for the qualifying sessions were high.

Luka Sammalisto: The speed improved further in the free practices, and I got a good feeling for the car with both old and new tires. The gap to the top was just a few tenths of a second. But the qualifying sessions did not go as smoothly. The first qualifying session was disrupted by numerous yellow flags, and due to a detached front wing, I only managed to do one fast lap, resulting in a very unsatisfactory P14. In the second qualifying session, technical problems continued, and I ended up in P18.

The weekend’s three races involved a lot of driving behind the safety car but also intense racing and overtaking. Sammalisto showed his speed and fighting spirit, resulting two times P4 among the rookies.

Luka Sammalisto: The first race started well, but crashes in the early laps brought out the safety car. The rest of the race was tough, and I even went off into the gravel briefly, but finished in P12 and P4 among the rookies. The podium was close, Luka says. The second race started also well, and I had climbed to P9 and P3 among the rookies when the safety car came out. At this point, the race director noticed that my rear wing had come loose and flagged me to the pits a lap before the finish. The third race was my best driving of the weekend. A good start, good speed, and good overtakes. I finished P7 and P4 among the rookies, which of course is a bit frustrating.

The Imola weekend did not meet the set goals. Numerous technical problems significantly affected performance and speed. When the car worked, Luka showed his speed and potential.

Luka Sammalisto: I have mixed feelings about Imola. There were many technical challenges that were out of my control. It’s good to remember, though, that without the technical issues, we are fast and competitive, which gives confidence for the future. The next race will be held in Vallelunga in 14.-16.6.

More information about Luka Sammalisto:
www.lukasammalistoracing.com

After the great success of Minardi Management in bringing Andrea Kimi Antonelli into the Mercedes F1 Academy in 2018, we are happy to announce another important achievement of ours. Giovanni Minardi managed to get the driver James Egozi into the Red Bull Junior Team. In 2023 we had already included him in the private PHM Racing Academy, giving him the opportunity to participate in an entire season in the Italian F4 Championship, however in 2024, thanks to the new collaboration just concluded with Red Bull he will have the opportunity to increase his programs to aim for its ultimate goals. Minardi Management and Giovanni Minardi demonstrate once again that they give each driver of their Agency the opportunity to open all possible doors, taking advantage of the excellent network of knowledge and respect towards Giovanni Minardi himself within the world of Motorsport and ensure its drivers a future in this sport.

Giovanni Minardi: “Who would have thought that in just two years of a management contract, we would have managed to get here. Having included him last year at the last moment in the private Academy program of the PHM Racing team and now in Red Bull, which allowed him and will allow him in the future to race like a professional, we believe we have achieved a true sportive miracle according to James Egozi.
Now it’s all in the hands of him and Red Bull to find the right path to reach the final goal, that is, Formula 1.
At this point we believe that there are no longer the conditions to continue our journey together, because it will be impossible to obtain more than what we have achieved in these two years and therefore our paths will separate, but with the awareness on our part of having done an outstanding job for James.”

A change in the schedule of the “Formula X Italian Series” has allowed for an additional round of the “FX Pro Series” championship: the chosen venue is the Autodromo dell’Umbria in Magione
Mattia Bucci is ready to hit the track and battle it out in this weekend in the “FX Pro Series” category, a weekend that was originally scheduled without any events in the “Formula X Italian Series”. A decision by the organizers regarding the calendar has brought life to the dates from October 7th to 8th 2023, deleting the silence that would have surrounded the Autodromo dell’Umbria in Magione, the next stop in “The Flash’s” career.

After a great performance in the last round at Varano de’ Melegari, where he achieved a podium finish in Race 2, the goal set by the Abruzzese rookie is to continue what was shown at the circuit located in the province of Parma, further showcasing the results of a challenging yet formative growth journey.

Sandro Giuliani’s SG Motors and his staff will suppport once again the ace from Catignano with their Tatuus F4 T-014.

“I am very happy to be able to return to the Magione circuit for the new penultimate round of the ‘Formula X Italian Series'” Mattia declared. “In the past two weeks, after returning from Varano de’ Melegari, I have been working hard in the gym with my trainers to improve both my physical and mental strength in preparation for the end of the season. I am excited to be back battling on track with the other drivers, and my goal is to improve the results achieved previously. I want to thank my family and SG Motors for allowing me to get back on track, my manager Giovanni Minardi and the entire Minardi Management for their invaluable advice, my trainer Walter Marini and his staff for the work they have done in these days, and all my sponsors who support me day after day. I will push to the maximum to achieve the best possible result.”