Last month, Kean Nakamura-Berta became the first driver to be crowned both the Italian Formula 4 and E4 champion in the same year. The Japanese-Slovakian driver spoke to Feeder Series in the Monza paddock during the E4 finale to reflect on what helped him achieve his double championship victory.

By Francesca Brusa

Before he even set foot in a F4 car to compete for the first time, everyone was talking about Kean Nakamura-Berta. His impressive karting record, which includes a world title in the OK-Junior class in 2021 and a European title in OK in 2022, set the expectations to the ceiling for his single-seater debut in November 2023. 

Having joined the F4 SEA grid after the non-championship round in Macau, Nakamura-Berta finished sixth in the standings, clinching a podium and two pole positions along the way in his first two race weekends in cars.

He then headed to the UAE for his first full F4 season and claimed the runner-up spot behind Mumbai Falcons teammate Freddie Slater with two wins and five further podiums. 

In his rookie campaign in Italian F4, Nakamura-Berta clinched the runner-up title in his category. He was the only debutant to achieve an overall victory, taking the race three win at Le Castellet, while also standing on the podium four further times. 

“Last year was a stepping stone for what was to come,” Nakamura-Berta told Feeder Series in the Monza paddock. “It was a feeling of mixed emotions. I had really high hopes going into it. The second half of that season was really strong. We were always up in the top five and we ended the season really well. Also in Euro 4 we finished third, which was really strong.

“It was just a year of learning. I learned a lot coming into this year, which gave me loads of confidence in myself and trust.” 

Nevertheless, the London native’s 2025 didn’t kick off as he had planned. Despite claiming one win and nine further podiums in F4 Middle East, he came third in the standings behind R-ace GP’s Emanuele Olivieri and Alex Powell. 

“There were some things out of our control which made it quite tough for us,” he said. “We really worked hard over there. We were making good steps forward throughout the whole championship trying to maximise what we could do with our car and what we had. It’s always tough when you just feel like you’re lacking a tiny bit of performance.”

Nevertheless, Nakamura-Berta picked himself up and prepared for his main campaign of 2025, his sophomore season in Italian F4. 

“In the wintertime, we really prioritised trying to look at how the new tyres changed the car, really. We got a new tyre compound coming into this season. So we sort of just tested loads of test items, really focused on that. 

“And it was always going to be a little bit tougher for us because we raced out in the Middle East with different tyre compounds, so we really had to put in the hard work during the test days.”

And the hard work paid off. In the first round of the championship at Misano, the Prema Racing driver won every single race he contested and snatched the points lead right away. 

His streak of wins didn’t seem to slow down as the second round at Vallelunga came around. He won the first two races that weekend, but opening-lap contact with teammate Sebastian Wheldon in the final race handed Gabriel Gomez his first race win on a silver platter.

At the time, Nakamura-Berta, Sebastian Wheldon and Gomez were the only three race winners in the championship. The win at Vallelunga catapulted US Racing’s Gomez into third in the standings behind Prema’s two race winners.

“I think there were probably two drivers who really gave a fight to me this year. It was probably Sebastian [Wheldon] and Gabriel,” Nakamura-Berta said. “At the start of the year, Sebastian looked really strong. He was always right on. He was really pushing me forwards. Our pace was very similar. It has been pretty much all year. We’ve been really pushing each other. 

“And then in the second half of the season, I think Gabriel started to edge forwards. We had such a big points margin going into the second half of the season [but] it was never comfortable. The gap is never comfortable. You just look to try to maintain that. Definitely Gabriel showed some really good pace towards the end of the year.”

Then in late June came Monza, where, after a podium in race one, Nakamura-Berta brought home one of his favourite victories of the season in race two against teammate Wheldon and Gomez.

“That was just a tough race because leading in Monza is always so difficult,” he said, “and we managed to control the pace all the way through. [I] defended a bit but had to be perfect with the driving to just maintain that lead. That was amazing.”

One final win in race one at Mugello concluded Nakamura-Berta’s dominant first half of the season. From that round onwards, he only clinched victory two further times: in race one at Barcelona and in the rescheduled race two from Imola, held at Misano. 

“The second half of the season we were a little bit more – I wouldn’t say unlucky, but a bit unfortunate with what was happening,” he said on reflection. “A few things were sometimes out of our control, but the pace was still really strong. We were always in the front.

“Always, when you have such a big championship lead, you also don’t need to afford to take as many risks. So it was also about just collecting the points, collecting the podiums and just trying to maintain our lead.

“In the first half we were very dominant. In the second half, some of the teams, some of the drivers caught up a little bit, so they came into play as well. But I think overall the pace was really strong all the way through. There were just a few things sometimes out of our control, which might have made the result look worse, but I think the pace was just really strong all year round.”

From race three in Mugello all the way to the season finale, Nakamura-Berta never finished off the podium. He claimed the title with nine wins and eight further podiums and a 75-point gap over Gomez in second. What was the secret behind such consistency?

“Having a really strong car every weekend definitely helped,” he replied. “It definitely takes a bit of weight off your shoulders when you can jump in the car and the car is rapid, so that’s really helped. 

“I think I’ve held up my side of it. I’ve done minimal mistakes this year and grabbed the points when I needed to. It was just a bit of both, I guess – a really strong team behind me and myself doing a pretty decent job.”

In his second full year in cars, Nakamura-Berta claimed his first and second titles, also securing the E4 crown in dominant style at the finale in Monza. Despite not winning any of the races in the opening round at Le Castellet, he clinched the points lead in Mugello and conquered the championship by taking all wins available in Monza. 

“That experience definitely helped,” he said. “Being a second year, you know how everything works, you know how the weekend goes. You’re quite familiar with everything.

“Car racing is completely different to what karting was. And even comparing Italy, Europe, to the Middle East, the Middle East was much more laid back, whereas Europe is like, you rock up, you have to perform. It’s all bam, bam, bam.”

“I think we did what we were looking for,” he added. “To be honest, I thought we would have a chance to fight for all three championships, Middle East, Italian and E4. The Middle East turned out to be a little bit tricky, but we worked really hard and we did a good job there. In Italy, we proved our pace once again.”

Nakamura-Berta now joins the likes of Lance Stroll, Ollie Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli in winning the Italian F4 crown. Is F1 on the cards in the near future for the 17-year-old? 

“Everyone’s goal is F1, isn’t it?” he replied. “I’ll see where life takes me. F1 is always every kid, every driver’s dream. Obviously, I dream and do everything to try to get there, but life has its twists and turns. I’ll try to keep winning or keep doing my best, keep improving as a driver. I’ll see where I end up.”

Nakamura-Berta will return to the track next weekend for the FIA F4 World Cup in Macau. His plans for 2026 are yet to be announced, but it is believed that he will stick with Prema while stepping up to FRegional Europe. 

Header photo credit: Alex Galli