The 2025 Italian Formula 4 Season Is Underway: How Oleksandr Bondarev Fared at the First Round
The Ukrainian finished eighth in the final.
Ukrainian driver Oleksandr Bondarev has started his first full Italian Formula 4 season. The series' opening round was held May 2–4 at the Misano World Circuit, where the Williams Academy driver finished eighth in the final race and scored 12 points.
Last season, the 16-year-old Ukrainian also competed in Italian Formula 4, but only in the final two rounds. During the off-season, Bondarev competed in F4 Middle East, where he scored his first-ever F4 points and reached the podium for the first time.
How Oleksandr Bondarev Fared at the First Round of the 2025 Italian F4 Season
- Since the track couldn't accommodate all the drivers at once, participants were split into two groups. Bondarev finished qualifying fifth, but climbed to third after penalties for his rivals. Thanks to this result, the Williams Academy driver landed in Group C and took part in the first and third races.
- Oleksandr started the first race fifth but dropped to 22nd after a collision that damaged the Ukrainian's front wing.
- In the third race, Bondarev posted the sixth-fastest time, which is also where he started, and went on to win the rookie battle. The Prema Racing driver finished half a second off the top five.
- After all three qualifying races, the 36 fastest drivers were selected for the final. Oleksandr started 11th, then fought his way up three positions to finish eighth.
The final race was won by Kean Nakamura-Berta — a Japanese-Slovak driver racing for the same team as the Ukrainian. Kean also leads the championship, having scored 75 points at the round.
Bondarev, meanwhile, holds provisional 10th place in the overall drivers' standings and fourth among rookies. The Ukrainian has 12 points to his name after the round in Misano.
Italian Formula 4 2025 Standings After the Misano Round
- Kean Nakamura-Berta (Prema Racing) — 75 points
- Sebastian Wheldon (Prema Racing) — 53
- Maksimilian Popov (Van Amersfoort Racing) — 48
…
10. Oleksandr Bondarev (Prema Racing) —.12
This season, Italian F4 features seven rounds and 23 races. The next round takes place May 23–25 at the Vallelunga circuit.