Victory in Imola and a Rookie Title: How Oleksandr Bondarev's First Formula 4 Season Went
A recap of the Ukrainian driver's 2025 season.
Ukrainian racing driver Oleksandr Bondarev wrapped up his 2025 season. The Prema Racing driver competed in Italian Formula 4 and the E4 Championship. In the main championship, the Ukrainian finished 10th among all drivers and third among rookies. In E4, meanwhile, Bondarev finished seventh overall and became rookie champion.
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.
Italian Formula 4
First Races of the Season and a Rookie Win
The Italian Formula 4 season kicked off at the Misano circuit. Oleksandr started the first race fifth but dropped to 22nd after a collision. In the second race, the driver finished sixth and claimed the rookie win, then wrapped up the final race eighth. Across the three races, the Ukrainian scored 12 points, placing 10th overall and fourth among rookies.
One Point for the Round
At the championship's second round in Vallelunga, the Prema Racing driver scored just one point, dropping to 16th in the standings and fifth among rookies. It was there that DeTalks broadcast the first-ever Formula 4 race with Ukrainian commentary.
Leading the Pack, Scoring No Points
The third round in Monza was both a historic and, at the same time, the season's most disappointing round for Bondarev: for the first time in his single-seater career, the Ukrainian led the pack during a race, but he failed to finish any of the three, retiring each time and scoring no points.
A Second Rookie Win
The comeback came in Mugello. There, Oleksandr claimed his second rookie win in the first race, and for the round overall scored four points, finishing 19th overall and sixth among rookies.
Race 1 in Imola
The most successful round was the fifth, in Imola — it was there that the Williams Driver Academy member claimed his first-ever single-seater win. The Ukrainian could have repeated the feat in the second race too (set to start from P2), but a crash involving 15 cars right at the start pushed the race to the season's final round. As a result, the Kyiv native climbed to 11th overall and fifth among rookies.
Oleksandr Bondarev — in the Top 3 Among Rookies
The penultimate round in Barcelona turned out chaotic due to heavy rain that affected both the second and third races. Despite this, after the sixth round of the Italian championship, Bondarev entered the top three among rookies.
A Podium Finish and a Fourth Rookie Win
The season finale took place in Misano, where it all began. The Ukrainian wrapped up his campaign on the overall podium — third in the final race, rescheduled from Imola — and also claimed his fourth rookie win. Bondarev finished with 89 points and 10th place overall, and 222 points and third place among rookies.
E4 Championship
Starting From the Lead
The first E4 Championship round, at the French Paul Ricard circuit, was the Ukrainian's most successful: in every race, the driver finished first among rookies and led the category standings. In the main standings, Bondarev held provisional seventh place.
Holding the Position
After the second round in Mugello, Oleksandr held onto his lead among rookies, despite finishes in fourth and seventh. In the overall standings, meanwhile, the Kyiv native dropped to ninth place.
Ukraine's First Rookie Win
The championship's final round began for the Ukrainian with another rookie win. In the second race, Bondarev finished 11th overall and fourth in his category, while the third race started with technical trouble, though he managed to fight back from 31st to 15th.
With a final total of 144 points, Oleksandr Bondarev claimed Ukraine's first-ever rookie win in the E4 Championship.
The 2026 Italian Formula 4 season will kick off May 10 in Misano and wrap up October 25 in Mugello. The E4 Championship will run from July 5 to October 11. There is no information yet on Oleksandr Bondarev's participation in either championship.
2026 Italian F4 Schedule
- May 8–10 — Misano
- May 22–24 — Vallelunga
- June 19–21 — Monza
- July 24–26 — Mugello
- September 4–6 — Imola
- September 18–20 — Misano
- October 23–25 — Mugello
2026 E4 Championship Schedule
- July 3–5 — Vallelunga
- July 17–19 — Le Castellet
- October 9–11 — Monza