Dino Beganovic scored another early career milestone with his first pole position in single-seater racing in round two of the Italian Formula 4 Championship at Imola.
Beganovic, the youngest member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, edged Red Bull juniors Jonny Edgar (GBR) and Jack Crawford (USA) in qualifying for the first race of the weekend, setting the outright fastest lap and sealing his maiden pole position.
In doing so, Beganovic led the 24-car field away at the start of Saturday’s opening Race 1.
“It was fantastic to take my first ever pole position in single-seaters, and to do it at such a legendary and technical track,” says Dino Beganovic. “Imola has a bit of everything, so it’s a very good indication for the future. It adds to the confidence, for sure.”
Beganovic initially kept the lead off the line in Race 1, but was sadly forced to see all chances of a first victory disappear when he made contact with Crawford at Tosa halfway around the opening lap.
However, despite sustaining damage to his Prema car – which lost a piece of its front wing and nose cone – Beganovic was able to bring it home in fourth place, as the highest placed rookie.
He then finished in the same position in Race 2, which marked another new experience for the Swede after a sudden downpour hit the track just before the start.
“We scored a lot of valuable points this weekend, and I learned a lot once again with my first race in the wet,” Beganovic continues. “It was surprisingly difficult to see anything, but a very useful experience. In Race 1, we lost as much as 6 km/h down the straights due to a hole in the nose cone, so I was really pleased to hold on to P4 in that one.”
Starting fourth in the concluding Race 3 on Sunday afternoon, Beganovic once again featured in the podium debate until a rival driver half-spun into his path and forced the Swede off the track. He eventually finished 12th after an excursion through the Tamburello gravel traps.
“It wasn’t the best ending, but overall it’s been a very promising weekend,” Beganovic concludes. “Now, we head straight to Hockenheim for some testing to do even better in the coming races.”
Beganovic now sits sixth in the overall Italian F4 standings.
The championship resumes in two weeks’ time with the only round staged outside of Italy, with Austria’s Red Bull Ring hosting proceedings on September 11-13.
RESULTS
Formula 4 Italian Championship
Round 2 – Imola (top five)
RACE 1 (download full results)
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1: Filip Ugran (ROU), Jenzer Motorsport
2: Jonny Edgar (GBR), Van Amersfoort Racing
3: Jack Crawford (USA), Van Amersfoort Racing
4: Dino Beganovic (SWE), Prema Powerteam
5: Zdenek Chovanek (CZE), Bhaitech
RACE 2 (download full results)
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1: Jonny Edgar (GBR), Van Amersfoort Racing
2: Jack Crawford (USA), Van Amersfoort Racing
3: Andrea Rosso (ITA), Cram Motorsport
4: Dino Beganovic (SWE), Prema Powerteam
5: Gabriele Minì (ITA), Prema Powerteam
RACE 3 (download full results)
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1: Andrea Rosso (ITA), Cram Motorsport
2: Francesco Pizzi (ITA), Van Amersfoort Racing
3: Jonny Edgar (GBR), Van Amersfoort Racing
4: Gabriele Minì (ITA), Prema Powerteam
5: Leonardo Fornaroli (ITA), Iron Lynx
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12: Dino Beganovic (SWE), Prema Powerteam
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Formula 4 Italian Championship
After 6/21 races (top five)
1: Francesco Pizzi (ITA), 85 p.
2: Gabriele Minì (ITA), 83 p.
3: Filip Ugran (ROU), 78 p.
4: Andrea Rosso (ITA), 70 p.
5: Jonny Edgar (GBR), 58 p.
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6: Dino Beganovic (SWE), 49 p.
