As arguably the foremost Formula 4 championship worldwide, Italian F4 is the best platform for drivers emerging from karting to show their worth – but in recent seasons, the series’ second-year racers have tended to find the most success. Feeder Series sat down with two such drivers, Emanuele Olivieri and Maksimilian Popov, earlier this season to find out why. 

By Francesca Brusa

“Reflecting on the season, it was obviously quite successful. Coming off last year P23 in the championship and then coming into this year, it definitely exceeded my expectations. Obviously going with a new team and everything, I was a bit unsure of how everything would go.”

This is what Jack Beeton told Feeder Series in November 2024, five days after snatching the runner-up spot at the last round of Italian F4 at Monza. The Gold Coast native is only one of many drivers to have experienced significant improvements from their rookie campaigns in the series compared to their sophomore ones. 

Four rounds into this year’s season, the top 10 competitors in the standings have a variety of racing backgrounds – from Kean Nakamura-Berta and Alex Powell, who made steps forward from already successful rookie campaigns, to star debutants Sebastian Wheldon, Gabriel Gomez, Salim Hanna and Chi Zhenrui. But two names stand out for a different reason.

After difficult first seasons in the series last year, Maksimilian Popov and Emanuele Olivieri are back in Italian F4 for their sophomore campaigns – and making the most of them. 

Last year, Popov made his single-seater debut in F4 UAE with PHM Racing, a championship in which he finished 27th with a best result of 11th at Yas Marina. 

“The UAE season didn’t go well at all, not a single good finish,” he told Feeder Series in the Italian F4 paddock at Monza last month. “I went into the season without much experience at all. We had only a couple of tests compared to other guys having much more.”

Popov went on to compete in three further championships with PHM: Italian F4, F4 CEZ and Euro 4, with the first of those being his main campaign. The Sochi native scored points nine times across all series, highlighted by a victory and a third-place finish at the Red Bull Ring in the Central European Zone championship. 

“I think last year for the team wasn’t their best, so in general, it wasn’t enough to fight for points consistently,” he said on reflection. “But we managed to score some points and take a lot of stuff away to learn and fight in the middle of the pack to overtake and how to deal with the struggles during the season.”

Another driver traced a similar path around the same time. In the winter of 2024, Olivieri joined the Formula Winter Series grid with AKM Motorsport to begin his career in single-seaters. 

The Canelli native managed to achieve one points finish in that series before returning to Italy to kick off his main campaign in Italian F4, once again with AKM. In his national series, Olivieri scored points four times, with a best finish in sixth in race three at Le Castellet. He went on to score a ninth-place finish in the final race of Euro 4 in Monza as well. 

“It was definitely a positive year,” Olivieri told Feeder Series in Monza. “At first, we struggled a bit. I was a bit disappointed initially because even though I wasn’t expecting to win, I’m never happy when I don’t. 

“But then we started working well together. I improved a lot with the team, and by the end of the season we found our rhythm, although a bit too late.”

At the small, family-run AKM team, Olivieri found a comfortable space for developing his craft over the course of 2024.

“Honestly, I messed up quite a few things. I made some mistakes, which is part of being a rookie,” he added. “What worked best was being in an environment where people genuinely cared and worked hard to help me improve. That kind of atmosphere really helps you grow.”

Something different awaited each of the drivers over the winter after they spent 2024 learning, with Popov heading to FWS and Olivieri making his debut in F4 Middle East.

They also faced team changes similar in nature. Popov went from the upstart PHM team to established frontrunners Van Amersfoort Racing, Olivieri left behind the Sammarinese squad to join R-ace GP on the other side of the Alps.

“Being honest, PHM is not on a level for competing for top fives and finishing good in their overall standings,” Popov said. “So this was just the first step for us to get the learning in general of a single-seater.

“This season, we are more trying to fight for the championship, of course. So we need to switch to a team which can give the material to us and help me to achieve it.”

The winter campaigns showed significant signs of improvement from both drivers, one of whom achieved something unimaginable at the start of the year. Olivieri won his first single-seater title in his second year in cars by taking six wins and six further podiums – just enough for the F4 Middle East crown for himself and for his team, who had not finished in the top five overall in three previous seasons.

“I felt really comfortable with the tyres and the tracks,” he said. “Our team had the best car on the grid in the Middle East, but more importantly, I didn’t make any mistakes throughout the whole championship. I consistently scored points, and that’s what allowed me to win the title.”

Popov, for his part, scored two podiums in his FWS season, one in race two at Portimao and another in race three in Valencia. He ended the season sixth overall, comfortably the highest-placed Van Amersfoort driver.

“Overall, I think Valencia weekend went pretty well because we were very consistent. A lot of points scored and just good performance in general,” Popov told Feeder Series. “Also in Aragon, we were super quick – unlucky to finish P4 in all the races, but it’s not a big deal.”

Popov credited his team with making a difference in his growth. “I have a big support from Van Amersfoort’s team this year. They believe in me and I believe in them,” Popov said. “In general, the work approach is much more serious this year.”

Now in their second Italian F4 seasons, Olivieri and Popov are respectively fifth and seventh in the standings with three podium results each. Though this represents a huge step forward already, both drivers are yet to take victory in the series. They say that better performances in qualifying would help each of them achieve that goal. 

“The win is definitely within reach,” said Popov, who took three podiums in the first two rounds. “Just not having enough for it yet. I didn’t have the opportunity to get it, but for sure that’s the goal and that’s where we aim.”

Olivieri also has three podiums but has seven top-five finishes to Popov’s five. “We already had the chance to win in Vallelunga, but I made a mistake and couldn’t bring it home,” the R-ace driver said. “Apart from Monza, where we lacked some pace in qualifying, I think we can definitely go for the win in the upcoming races.”

In the previous five Italian F4 seasons, more than half of the competitors who finished in the top 10 have been drivers returning from partial or full past seasons in the series, including the last four champions. With three rounds left, including this weekend’s round at Imola, Popov and Olivieri are well on course to join that list at the end of the season.

And with the fight at the front seeming tighter than ever, do they consider themselves title contenders? 

“Of course I feel like we are in contention,” Popov said. “We’re really consistent. We try to improve every weekend on everything we can – on making my car work as needed or myself making a lot of progress – and work every day towards the goal we have, which is winning the championship, obviously.”

“I’m still mathematically in the fight for the title. It’s not easy because Prema is really strong,” Olivieri said. “But with so many drivers scoring zero in some races, consistency can play a big role, even if you’re not the fastest. 

“After the Middle East, the natural goal would have been to go for the championship, but Italian F4 is much more competitive. I think a top-three finish in the standings would still be a good result.”

Header photo credit: Federico Basile