The 2026 E4 Championship opened at Vallelunga with a 36-car field, three different pole-sitters, two race winners and an early statement from US Racing’s Luka Sammalisto.
The Finnish driver carried his Italian F4 form into the sister series, winning Race 1 and Race 3 while adding third place in Race 2. As a result, he left the Autodromo Piero Taruffi with 82 points and the first championship lead of the season.
Kenzo Craigie also starred across the opening round. The R-ace GP Mercedes junior won Race 2, finished sixth in Race 1 and ninth in the final classification of Race 3, giving him second in the overall standings and the early Rookie Championship lead. Meanwhile, US Racing took control of the Teams’ Championship ahead of Prema Racing.
2026 E4 Championship: Vallelunga: Free Practice
Vallelunga opened the fourth E4 Championship season with two Friday free practice sessions, and Prema Racing set the pace in both.
Niccolò Maccagnani made the strongest start on home soil in Free Practice 1. The Ferrari Driver Academy driver topped the morning session with a 1:34.748, beating Craigie by 0.189s. Oleksandr Bondarev completed the top three, while Sammalisto and Edward Robinson placed two US Racing cars inside the top five.
Bondarev then moved to the front in Free Practice 2. The Williams junior posted a 1:34.655, ahead of Sammalisto and Craigie. Roman Kamyab placed fourth for Prema, while Maccagnani completed the top five.
2026 E4 Championship: Vallelunga: Free Practice 1 classification
Maccagnani led the opening session with a 1:34.748, ahead of Craigie and Bondarev.
- Niccolò Maccagnani — Prema Racing — 1:34.748
- Kenzo Craigie — R-ace GP — +0.189
- Oleksandr Bondarev — Prema Racing — +0.207
- Luka Sammalisto — US Racing — +0.262
- Edward Robinson — US Racing — +0.291
- Christian Costoya — Prema Racing — +0.296
- Andy Consani — R-ace GP — +0.330
- Ludovico Busso — US Racing — +0.363
- Ary Bansal — US Racing — +0.363
- Roman Kamyab — Prema Racing — +0.438
- Arjen Kräling — US Racing — +0.456
- Oleksandr Savinkov — US Racing — +0.480
- Kwan Ho Kingsley Zheng — Prema Racing — +0.502
- Alex Ruta — Van Amersfoort Racing — +0.519
- Knud Nielsen — Real Racing — +0.548
- Florentin Hattemer — Trident Motorsport — +0.575
- Noah Killion — US Racing — +0.651
- Alp Aksoy — Prema Racing — +0.703
- Dominik Šimek — Trident Motorsport — +0.742
- Bernardo Bernoldi — Trident Motorsport — +0.743
- Thomas Bearman — Van Amersfoort Racing — +0.747
- George Proudford-Nalder — AKM Motorsport — +0.752
- Jean-Paul Karras — R-ace GP — +0.905
- Oscar Repetto — PHM Racing — +0.936
- Georgiy Zasov — Prema Racing — +1.012
- Iacopo Martinese — PHM Racing — +1.066
- Lyuboslav Ruykov — Trident Motorsport — +1.072
- Philippe-Armand Karras — R-ace GP — +1.076
- Alexander Chartier — PHM Racing — +1.081
- Augustus Toniolo — Trident Motorsport — +1.195
- Vittorio Orsini — AKM Motorsport — +1.197
- Roland Kuklane — PHM Racing — +1.312
- Pedro Lima — Van Amersfoort Racing — +1.343
- Tamás Gender — R-ace GP — +1.361
- Andre Rodriguez — PHM Racing — +1.394
- Joaquín Rubino — Scuderia Buell — +2.509
2026 E4 Championship: Vallelunga: Free Practice 2 classification
Bondarev topped Free Practice 2 with a 1:34.655, while Sammalisto and Craigie completed the top three.
- Oleksandr Bondarev — Prema Racing — 1:34.655
- Luka Sammalisto — US Racing — +0.144
- Kenzo Craigie — R-ace GP — +0.191
- Roman Kamyab — Prema Racing — +0.195
- Niccolò Maccagnani — Prema Racing — +0.297
- Ary Bansal — US Racing — +0.313
- Alp Aksoy — Prema Racing — +0.367
- Arjen Kräling — US Racing — +0.375
- Oleksandr Savinkov — US Racing — +0.400
- Christian Costoya — Prema Racing — +0.500
- Noah Killion — US Racing — +0.510
- Kwan Ho Kingsley Zheng — Prema Racing — +0.521
- Edward Robinson — US Racing — +0.523
- Ludovico Busso — US Racing — +0.538
- Georgiy Zasov — Prema Racing — +0.581
- Dominik Šimek — Trident Motorsport — +0.593
- Thomas Bearman — Van Amersfoort Racing — +0.806
- Florentin Hattemer — Trident Motorsport — +0.807
- Andy Consani — R-ace GP — +0.820
- Augustus Toniolo — Trident Motorsport — +0.839
- Bernardo Bernoldi — Trident Motorsport — +0.889
- Alex Ruta — Van Amersfoort Racing — +0.899
- Knud Nielsen — Real Racing — +0.903
- Oscar Repetto — PHM Racing — +0.928
- Philippe-Armand Karras — R-ace GP — +0.938
- George Proudford-Nalder — AKM Motorsport — +1.031
- Alexander Chartier — PHM Racing — +1.203
- Roland Kuklane — PHM Racing — +1.265
- Jean-Paul Karras — R-ace GP — +1.275
- Iacopo Martinese — PHM Racing — +1.377
- Pedro Lima — Van Amersfoort Racing — +1.481
- Vittorio Orsini — AKM Motorsport — +1.491
- Lyuboslav Ruykov — Trident Motorsport — +1.604
- Andre Rodriguez — PHM Racing — +1.761
- Tamás Gender — R-ace GP — +2.089
- Joaquín Rubino — Scuderia Buell — +2.430
2026 E4 Championship: Vallelunga: Qualifying
Qualifying produced three different pole-sitters for the three races, setting up a varied weekend at the front.
Maccagnani claimed pole for Race 1 with a 1:34.809, edging Prema team-mate Kamyab by just 0.010s. Savinkov took third for US Racing, ahead of Kräling, Noah Killion and Sammalisto.
Kamyab then struck back in Qualifying 2. The British rookie secured his first Formula 4 pole with a 1:34.524, beating Craigie by 0.084s. Sammalisto placed third in the session, but his second-best lap secured pole for Race 3.
2026 E4 Championship: Vallelunga: Qualifying 1 classification
Maccagnani secured Race 1 pole with a 1:34.809, just 0.010s ahead of Kamyab.
- Niccolò Maccagnani — Prema Racing — 1:34.809
- Roman Kamyab — Prema Racing — +0.010
- Oleksandr Savinkov — US Racing — +0.282
- Arjen Kräling — US Racing — +0.294
- Noah Killion — US Racing — +0.294
- Luka Sammalisto — US Racing — +0.297
- Kenzo Craigie — R-ace GP — +0.310
- Oleksandr Bondarev — Prema Racing — +0.333
- Andy Consani — R-ace GP — +0.350
- Edward Robinson — US Racing — +0.354
- Alp Aksoy — Prema Racing — +0.356
- Ludovico Busso — US Racing — +0.369
- Florentin Hattemer — Trident Motorsport — +0.382
- Dominik Šimek — Trident Motorsport — +0.387
- Augustus Toniolo — Trident Motorsport — +0.410
- George Proudford-Nalder — AKM Motorsport — +0.431
- Christian Costoya — Prema Racing — +0.463
- Kwan Ho Kingsley Zheng — Prema Racing — +0.629
- Bernardo Bernoldi — Trident Motorsport — +0.630
- Alexander Chartier — PHM Racing — +0.632
- Knud Nielsen — Real Racing — +0.682
- Alex Ruta — Van Amersfoort Racing — +0.710
- Thomas Bearman — Van Amersfoort Racing — +0.794
- Roland Kuklane — PHM Racing — +0.808
- Andre Rodriguez — PHM Racing — +0.835
- Philippe-Armand Karras — R-ace GP — +0.869
- Georgiy Zasov — Prema Racing — +0.916
- Lyuboslav Ruykov — Trident Motorsport — +0.968
- Ary Bansal — US Racing — +1.034
- Oscar Repetto — PHM Racing — +1.113
- Pedro Lima — Van Amersfoort Racing — +1.153
- Iacopo Martinese — PHM Racing — +1.246
- Vittorio Orsini — AKM Motorsport — +1.301
- Jean-Paul Karras — R-ace GP — +1.327
- Tamás Gender — R-ace GP — +1.570
- Joaquín Rubino — Scuderia Buell — +2.367
2026 E4 Championship: Vallelunga: Qualifying 2 classification
Kamyab claimed his maiden F4 pole with a 1:34.524, while Craigie and Sammalisto completed the top three.
- Roman Kamyab — Prema Racing — 1:34.524
- Kenzo Craigie — R-ace GP — +0.084
- Luka Sammalisto — US Racing — +0.125
- Arjen Kräling — US Racing — +0.137
- Noah Killion — US Racing — +0.175
- Alp Aksoy — Prema Racing — +0.198
- Christian Costoya — Prema Racing — +0.260
- Niccolò Maccagnani — Prema Racing — +0.263
- Edward Robinson — US Racing — +0.273
- Andy Consani — R-ace GP — +0.303
- Oleksandr Bondarev — Prema Racing — +0.323
- Florentin Hattemer — Trident Motorsport — +0.357
- Ludovico Busso — US Racing — +0.366
- Ary Bansal — US Racing — +0.366
- Alex Ruta — Van Amersfoort Racing — +0.440
- Oleksandr Savinkov — US Racing — +0.465
- Bernardo Bernoldi — Trident Motorsport — +0.465
- Knud Nielsen — Real Racing — +0.482
- George Proudford-Nalder — AKM Motorsport — +0.533
- Oscar Repetto — PHM Racing — +0.535
- Augustus Toniolo — Trident Motorsport — +0.556
- Andre Rodriguez — PHM Racing — +0.622
- Georgiy Zasov — Prema Racing — +0.633
- Thomas Bearman — Van Amersfoort Racing — +0.647
- Alexander Chartier — PHM Racing — +0.722
- Philippe-Armand Karras — R-ace GP — +0.779
- Dominik Šimek — Trident Motorsport — +0.785
- Roland Kuklane — PHM Racing — +0.838
- Pedro Lima — Van Amersfoort Racing — +1.044
- Jean-Paul Karras — R-ace GP — +1.120
- Vittorio Orsini — AKM Motorsport — +1.245
- Iacopo Martinese — PHM Racing — +1.357
- Tamás Gender — R-ace GP — +1.379
- Kwan Ho Kingsley Zheng — Prema Racing — +1.544
- Lyuboslav Ruykov — Trident Motorsport — +2.035
- Joaquín Rubino — Scuderia Buell — +2.127
2026 E4 Championship: Vallelunga: Race 1
Race 1 immediately shifted the weekend away from pole-sitter Maccagnani and towards Sammalisto.
Starting from the third row, the US Racing driver launched strongly and moved into the lead on the opening lap. Maccagnani stayed close during the early stages, but Sammalisto gradually built control and secured the first win of the E4 season.
Maccagnani finished second on home soil, while Savinkov completed the podium for US Racing. Kräling took fourth, ahead of Bondarev, while Craigie finished sixth overall and claimed the rookie win.
The official Race 1 classification included several post-race penalties. Most notably, many drivers received 35-second penalties relating to double yellow flag infringements, though the overall podium remained unchanged.
2026 E4 Championship: Vallelunga: Race 1 classification
Sammalisto won Race 1 after taking the lead on the opening lap, with Maccagnani and Savinkov completing the podium.
- Luka Sammalisto — US Racing — 32:46.267
- Niccolò Maccagnani — Prema Racing — +0.563
- Oleksandr Savinkov — US Racing — +1.980
- Arjen Kräling — US Racing — +2.385
- Oleksandr Bondarev — Prema Racing — +3.025
- Kenzo Craigie — R-ace GP — +3.832
- Noah Killion — US Racing — +6.008
- Alp Aksoy — Prema Racing — +6.669
- Andy Consani — R-ace GP — +7.161
- Roman Kamyab — Prema Racing — +7.731
- Edward Robinson — US Racing — +8.163
- George Proudford-Nalder — AKM Motorsport — +13.142
- Knud Nielsen — Real Racing — +13.767
- Kwan Ho Kingsley Zheng — Prema Racing — +14.362
- Christian Costoya — Prema Racing — +14.745
- Ludovico Busso — US Racing — +15.292
- Bernardo Bernoldi — Trident Motorsport — +16.027
- Alexander Chartier — PHM Racing — +17.061
- Augustus Toniolo — Trident Motorsport — +17.385
- Alex Ruta — Van Amersfoort Racing — +19.230
- Ary Bansal — US Racing — +20.845
- Georgiy Zasov — Prema Racing — +23.243
- Iacopo Martinese — PHM Racing — +25.476
- Oscar Repetto — PHM Racing — +26.264
- Florentin Hattemer — Trident Motorsport — +27.692
- Lyuboslav Ruykov — Trident Motorsport — +31.430
- Thomas Bearman — Van Amersfoort Racing — +31.891
- Andre Rodriguez — PHM Racing — +33.546
- Pedro Lima — Van Amersfoort Racing — +35.470
- Tamás Gender — R-ace GP — +40.957
- Vittorio Orsini — AKM Motorsport — +42.097
- Jean-Paul Karras — R-ace GP — +49.637
- Roland Kuklane — PHM Racing — +50.569
- Joaquín Rubino — Scuderia Buell — +1:07.756
- Philippe-Armand Karras — R-ace GP — 3 laps
Not classified:
RET. Dominik Šimek — Trident Motorsport — 6 laps
Fastest lap: Luka Sammalisto — 1:35.682
Rookie winner: Kenzo Craigie
2026 E4 Championship: Vallelunga: Race 2
Craigie delivered the strongest start in Race 2 and turned it into his first E4 win of the season.
The R-ace GP driver started second, used the slipstream behind pole-sitter Kamyab and took the lead during the opening lap. From there, he controlled the race, including the restart after a Safety Car caused by contact between Killion and Consani.
Kamyab kept second for Prema, while Sammalisto finished third and protected his championship lead. Kräling took fourth, ahead of Aksoy and Costoya. Craigie also set the fastest lap, completing a near-perfect race.
2026 E4 Championship: Vallelunga: Race 2 classification
Craigie won Race 2 from Kamyab and Sammalisto, while also setting the fastest lap.
- Kenzo Craigie — R-ace GP — 32:26.394
- Roman Kamyab — Prema Racing — +1.419
- Luka Sammalisto — US Racing — +2.318
- Arjen Kräling — US Racing — +3.078
- Alp Aksoy — Prema Racing — +3.557
- Christian Costoya — Prema Racing — +4.631
- Oleksandr Bondarev — Prema Racing — +6.394
- Edward Robinson — US Racing — +6.746
- Niccolò Maccagnani — Prema Racing — +7.481
- Ary Bansal — US Racing — +8.271
- Ludovico Busso — US Racing — +8.616
- Alex Ruta — Van Amersfoort Racing — +9.229
- Oleksandr Savinkov — US Racing — +9.570
- Knud Nielsen — Real Racing — +10.347
- Bernardo Bernoldi — Trident Motorsport — +11.150
- Florentin Hattemer — Trident Motorsport — +11.587
- Oscar Repetto — PHM Racing — +11.940
- Dominik Šimek — Trident Motorsport — +13.907
- George Proudford-Nalder — AKM Motorsport — +15.610
- Alexander Chartier — PHM Racing — +16.532
- Thomas Bearman — Van Amersfoort Racing — +16.862
- Roland Kuklane — PHM Racing — +16.985
- Georgiy Zasov — Prema Racing — +17.436
- Augustus Toniolo — Trident Motorsport — +17.981
- Philippe-Armand Karras — R-ace GP — +18.707
- Andy Consani — R-ace GP — +19.595
- Pedro Lima — Van Amersfoort Racing — +20.373
- Andre Rodriguez — PHM Racing — +21.237
- Lyuboslav Ruykov — Trident Motorsport — +22.849
- Jean-Paul Karras — R-ace GP — +23.137
- Tamás Gender — R-ace GP — +24.614
- Kwan Ho Kingsley Zheng — Prema Racing — +28.214
- Vittorio Orsini — AKM Motorsport — +29.398
- Joaquín Rubino — Scuderia Buell — 6 laps
Not classified:
RET. Iacopo Martinese — PHM Racing — 11 laps
RET. Noah Killion — US Racing — 9 laps
Fastest lap: Kenzo Craigie — 1:35.473
Rookie winner: Kenzo Craigie
2026 E4 Championship: Vallelunga: Race 3
Sammalisto ended the weekend with another win and confirmed himself as the first championship leader of 2026.
Starting from pole, the US Racing driver kept control from the start and managed two Safety Car periods. The second neutralisation remained in place until the chequered flag, preventing any late restart and sealing Sammalisto’s second victory of the weekend.
Killion finished second to complete a US Racing one-two, recovering strongly after retiring from Race 2. Costoya took third for Prema and also claimed the rookie win after passing Craigie at the Tornantino. Bondarev finished fourth, while Bansal completed the top five.
Kamyab initially finished ninth on the road, but stewards gave him a 10-second penalty for causing contact with Kräling. The penalty dropped him to 27th and moved Craigie into ninth.
2026 E4 Championship: Vallelunga: Race 3 classification
Sammalisto converted pole into a second win of the weekend, with Killion completing a US Racing one-two and Costoya taking third.
- Luka Sammalisto — US Racing — 33:05.932
- Noah Killion — US Racing — +2.227
- Christian Costoya — Prema Racing — +2.633
- Oleksandr Bondarev — Prema Racing — +2.898
- Ary Bansal — US Racing — +5.148
- Oleksandr Savinkov — US Racing — +5.733
- Edward Robinson — US Racing — +6.002
- Alp Aksoy — Prema Racing — +6.390
- Kenzo Craigie — R-ace GP — +6.852
- Ludovico Busso — US Racing — +7.053
- Thomas Bearman — Van Amersfoort Racing — +7.220
- Dominik Šimek — Trident Motorsport — +7.356
- Philippe-Armand Karras — R-ace GP — +7.600
- Georgiy Zasov — Prema Racing — +8.159
- Augustus Toniolo — Trident Motorsport — +8.424
- Roland Kuklane — PHM Racing — +9.116
- Oscar Repetto — PHM Racing — +9.682
- Kwan Ho Kingsley Zheng — Prema Racing — +11.540
- Iacopo Martinese — PHM Racing — +11.907
- Pedro Lima — Van Amersfoort Racing — +12.123
- Andy Consani — R-ace GP — +12.305
- Jean-Paul Karras — R-ace GP — +13.138
- Lyuboslav Ruykov — Trident Motorsport — +13.720
- Florentin Hattemer — Trident Motorsport — +14.150
- Alexander Chartier — PHM Racing — +15.583
- Knud Nielsen — Real Racing — +15.875
- Roman Kamyab — Prema Racing — +16.671
- Andre Rodriguez — PHM Racing — +17.572
- Vittorio Orsini — AKM Motorsport — +19.095
- Joaquín Rubino — Scuderia Buell — +20.360
- Alex Ruta — Van Amersfoort Racing — 4 laps
- Arjen Kräling — US Racing — 4 laps
Not classified:
RET. Tamás Gender — R-ace GP — 7 laps
RET. Bernardo Bernoldi — Trident Motorsport — 1 lap
RET. George Proudford-Nalder — AKM Motorsport — 1 lap
Fastest lap: Luka Sammalisto — 1:35.525
Rookie winner: Christian Costoya
Penalty: Roman Kamyab — 10-second time penalty
2026 E4 Championship standings after Round 1
Sammalisto leads the Drivers’ Championship after scoring 82 points from a possible 90 at Vallelunga. Craigie sits second on 56 after his Race 2 win, while Bondarev holds third on 52 after three consistent points finishes.
US Racing also leads the Teams’ Championship with 150 points, 20 clear of Prema Racing. R-ace GP sits third after Craigie’s victory and points from Consani and Philippe-Armand Karras.
2026 E4 Championship standings after Round 1: Drivers’ Championship
The Drivers’ Championship below is calculated from the official final Race 1, Race 2 and Race 3 classifications using the E4 points system.
- Luka Sammalisto — 82 points
- Kenzo Craigie — 56 points
- Oleksandr Bondarev — 52 points
- Oleksandr Savinkov — 42 points
- Alp Aksoy — 42 points
- Noah Killion — 40 points
- Arjen Kräling — 40 points
- Christian Costoya — 39 points
- Niccolò Maccagnani — 36 points
- Roman Kamyab — 35 points
- Edward Robinson — 34 points
- Ary Bansal — 27 points
- Ludovico Busso — 17 points
- Andy Consani — 10 points
- Thomas Bearman — 8 points
- George Proudford-Nalder — 6 points
- Alex Ruta — 6 points
- Dominik Šimek — 6 points
- Knud Nielsen — 6 points
- Philippe-Armand Karras — 4 points
- Kwan Ho Kingsley Zheng — 2 points
- Georgiy Zasov — 2 points
- Bernardo Bernoldi — 1 point
- Augustus Toniolo — 1 point
- Oscar Repetto — 0 points
- Alexander Chartier — 0 points
- Florentin Hattemer — 0 points
- Iacopo Martinese — 0 points
- Lyuboslav Ruykov — 0 points
- Pedro Lima — 0 points
- Andre Rodriguez — 0 points
- Vittorio Orsini — 0 points
- Jean-Paul Karras — 0 points
- Roland Kuklane — 0 points
- Joaquín Rubino — 0 points
- Tamás Gender — 0 points
2026 E4 Championship standings after Round 1: Rookie Championship
Craigie leads the Rookie Championship after two rookie wins and third in class in Race 3.
- Kenzo Craigie — R-ace GP — 82 points
- Alp Aksoy — Prema Racing — 74 points
- Christian Costoya — Prema Racing — 64 points
- Roman Kamyab — Prema Racing — 49 points
- Knud Nielsen — Real Racing — 38 points
- Dominik Šimek — Trident Motorsport — 30 points
- Georgiy Zasov — Prema Racing — 30 points
- George Proudford-Nalder — AKM Motorsport — 29 points
- Bernardo Bernoldi — Trident Motorsport — 28 points
- Oscar Repetto — PHM Racing — 28 points
- Augustus Toniolo — Trident Motorsport — 27 points
- Kwan Ho Kingsley Zheng — Prema Racing — 26 points
- Florentin Hattemer — Trident Motorsport — 22 points
- Alexander Chartier — PHM Racing — 22 points
- Roland Kuklane — PHM Racing — 20 points
- Iacopo Martinese — PHM Racing — 15 points
- Lyuboslav Ruykov — Trident Motorsport — 10 points
- Tamás Gender — R-ace GP — 0 points
- Vittorio Orsini — AKM Motorsport — 0 points
2026 E4 Championship standings after Round 1: Teams’ Championship
US Racing leads the Teams’ Championship after scoring 150 points across the opening three races.
- US Racing — 150 points
- Prema Racing — 130 points
- R-ace GP — 75 points
- Van Amersfoort Racing — 14 points
- Trident Motorsport — 8 points
- AKM Motorsport — 6 points
- Real Racing — 6 points
- PHM Racing — 0 points
- Jenzer Motorsport — 0 points
- Scuderia Buell — 0 points
Conclusion: Sammalisto sets the early benchmark
Vallelunga confirmed several early themes for the 2026 E4 season. Sammalisto gave US Racing immediate control with two wins, while Craigie combined race-winning pace with rookie dominance. Bondarev did not reach the podium, but his consistency kept him close in the overall standings.
Prema Racing showed strong one-lap speed through Maccagnani and Kamyab, yet US Racing converted race pace into the stronger points haul. Meanwhile, R-ace GP left with a race win, the Rookie Championship lead and a platform to build on at Paul Ricard.
With only three rounds on the calendar, the Vallelunga opener already carries major weight. Sammalisto has taken the first advantage, but Craigie, Bondarev, Aksoy, Killion, Kräling and the Prema drivers still have time to respond when the E4 Championship heads to Le Castellet.
