How Oleksandr Bondarev Led the Pack for the First Time: Third Italian F4 Round Recap
The driver holds provisional sixth place in the rookie standings.
Oleksandr Bondarev, a Prema Racing driver and Williams Driver Academy member, wrapped up the third round of Italian Formula 4, held June 20–22 in Monza. In the first race, the Ukrainian managed to take the lead and held it for 15 minutes.
Earlier, at the championship's first round, Bondarev scored 12 points. The second brought the 16-year-old Ukrainian one more. As a result, after two rounds, Oleksandr held provisional 16th place in the overall drivers' standings.
DeTalks is the official broadcaster of Formula 4 in Ukraine! Watch every race featuring Bondarev with Ukrainian commentary live on the YouTube channel of DeTalks.
How Oleksandr Bondarev Fared at the Third Round of the 2025 Italian F4 Season
- In pre-round testing, the Ukrainian driver posted the fastest time of the first day — 1:52.391. The following day, the driver finished the session fifth. In free practice, the Prema Racing driver posted the 12th- and fourth-fastest times, respectively.
- In the first qualifying session, Oleksandr Bondarev fell just short of pole, losing out to Sebastian Wheldon by 0.027 seconds. In the second session, trouble struck: due to car damage, the Ukrainian finished 13th.
- Bondarev started the first race from the front row and took the lead by the second corner. But 15 minutes into his lead, gravel left over from a crash on the previous lap spun his car around. Oleksandr dropped to 36th but managed to fight back to 21st before an electronics failure forced him to retire — finishing 33rd.
- Bondarev also failed to finish the next two races: on the seventh minute of the second race, a crash ahead of the Ukrainian forced him to abandon the fight early while trying to avoid a collision, and in the third, Oleksandr went off track after contact in a chicane.
As a result, the third Italian Formula 4 round yielded no points for the Ukrainian. The standings are led by Prema Racing driver Kean Nakamura-Berta. The rookie standings, meanwhile, are led by Salim Hanna, a driver from the same team.
Italian Formula 4 2025 Standings After the Third Round
- Kean Nakamura-Berta (Prema Racing) — 165 points
- Sebastian Wheldon (Prema Racing) — 136
- Gabriel Gomez (US Racing) — 114
…
- Oleksandr Bondarev (Prema Racing) — 13
The next Italian Formula 4 round takes place July 11–13 at the Mugello circuit.