Championship contender Raul Guzman made the correct gamble in order to win the opening race at Vallelunga. The Mexican decided to pit for wet tyres when many of the Italian F4 field stayed out. It paid off and he beat his team-mate to the line.
While qualifying had been dry, it was a different story for the race. A sudden downpour 40 minutes before the start soaked the circuit and prevented the cars from properly starting. With the field on dry tyres, the race was started under safety car.
The track was quick to dry though and many believed that it would be more beneficial to ride out the weather, taking advantage at the end of the race. Pole sitter Juri Vips maintained his lead off the line as Mick Schumacher followed him into the first corner.
Elsewhere, the DR Formula drivers of Guzman and Artem Petrov drove into the pits. Guzman had had a poor qualifying, by his own standards and knew a gamble was his only chance at a podium. The circuit didn’t dry as quick as everyone was expecting and soon it was Guzman out in front.
A safety car was called during the middle of the race as the Jenzer Motorsport driver of Diego Ciantini ran into the barrier. By this point the DR Formula cars were already in front of Schumacher who had overtaken his team-mate.
The race was eventually red flagged after a number of driver veered off the track thanks to the worsening conditions. The win moves Guzman to within 21 points of leader Marcos Seibert, who crossed the line sixth.
Vips had fallen back from his pole and could only manage fourth ahead of Juan Manuel Correa. While other drivers did pit for wets, it was too little too late as Siebert lead home Diego Bertonelli and Giuliano Raucci to complete the top eight.
