AS Motorsport have yet to score a point in Italian Formula 4 since their debut in 2018, but the small Slovenian squad aims to open a new chapter in their history in 2025. Feeder Series talked to team principal Andrej Slak to learn more about the outfit’s future.

By Perceval Wolff-Taffus

“The passion for racing is stronger than everything,” Andrej Slak answers when asked why he and his team continue to fight every Italian F4 race weekend since 2018 despite not scoring a single top-10 finish in a 30- to 40-car field.

“It’s a question people often ask us, I would say. But we trust so much the potential of our drivers, and that fuels our motivation for every race.

“Motorsport is not only about podiums, trophies. It’s a journey. To see our drivers progress, improve and sometimes even fight the best, it’s an enormous satisfaction.

“When we look back to the performances of Kacper [Sztuka in 2021], it reminds us about where we are here: to build solid foundations and prepare all these young drivers for their future.”

Slak refers to Kacper Sztuka, undoubtedly the most successful driver in the team’s history. The Pole made his racing debut with AS in the 2021 Italian F4 season, earning a best race result of 11th in Misano and two rookie podiums on his way to eighth in the rookie classification.   

“Kacper was a great pride for us,” Slak says. “He showed what we were capable of – to detect a diamond in the rough, to support him and push him to reveal himself.

“We are proud to offer an environment where young drivers can learn, progress, blossom and get noticed. For us, it’s much more rewarding than short-term results.”

After his year at AS Motorsport, Sztuka went on to US Racing, one of the giants of the series. He took a podium and a victory in his debut round but slipped back to sixth in the standings by season’s end. In 2023, after a remarkable late-season surge, he ended up as the series’ 10th champion.

In doing so, Sztuka became AS Motorsport’s first graduate to win a single-seater title as well as their first to join an F1 junior programme, racing with Red Bull’s colours in the first half of 2024. Now, his former team will sport different colours of their own amidst a renewed push for recognition.

Over the past week, AS Motorsport have unveiled a new logo and livery, swapping their traditional yellow base and chunky lettering for greyscale and sweeping curves throughout the design. While the changes are primarily cosmetic, Slak says they represent more than just a different paint job.

“With this new identity, our target is clear: to take on the next step, on the racing and organisational levels. We want to fight for the top 15 quickly and aim for the top 10 afterwards. It’s ambitious, but we know it is possible with hard work.”

Behind the refreshed branding is Julien Dupe, a French entrepreneur and investor in around 40 companies worldwide who has been involved in boosting the Slovenian team’s marketing and visibility over the past few weeks.

Slak explains that on the racing side, his team has a full-time staff of between 11 and 14 people. Among them are mechanics and engineers with backgrounds in GT racing and single-seaters, including F1.

“We are a small structure, but very professional,” Slak adds.

For 2025, AS Motorsport have signed French rookie Andrea Dupe, a Prema by Kart Republic driver in karting, Italian Karting Championship OK class runner-up in 2023 and the son of AS’ latest investor. He will race in Italian F4 and sister series E4, formerly Euro 4, this year as well as in the Formula Winter Series from February to March.

At AS, drivers such as Dupe “can race without the pressure that they can find in bigger teams,” Slak says. “By joining AS, they join a growing team. It can be really rewarding for them if they get good performances in a small team like us. From our side, we’re proud to have been able to sign them despite the interest of other bigger teams.”

In FWS, he will be joined by 2022 FIA Girls On Track finalist Mathilda Paatz, a German driver who raced with ADAC Formel Junior Team support in French F4 in 2024, and 2024 Nordic 4 rookie champion Sebastian Bach of Denmark, who will also continue in his domestic series in 2025.

“Nowadays, it has become compulsory to do a winter series,” Slak says. “These championships allow teams to test set-ups, to create a real working dynamic with drivers, and for them, it’s the opportunity to be fully ready and operational for the first round of their main programme. Those who don’t do these series often start with a little handicap compared to those who did it.”

AS Motorsport entered the first two Formula Winter Series rounds in 2023 but skipped the series last year. With their new look for the 2025 edition, the team hope to achieve the recognition to match their passion.

“To be engaged in Formula Winter Series and in Italian F4 shows our ambition: to offer an optimal and full program in order to develop our drivers,” Slak says. “Our long-term vision is to become a team truly recognised for detecting and forming young talents – and maybe why not, a team able to fight at the front of the field.”

Header photo credit: Julien Dupe