Race Report: Italian F4 at Misano – A Promising Start to the Summer Season

Misano, Italy – May 5, 2025 – Payton Westcott opened her summer season in the Italian F4 Championship with a weekend full of valuable lessons, strong performances, and determined comebacks at the Misano World Circuit, driving with her FWS team, Van Amersfoort Racing.

The weekend began on a high note during Friday’s qualifying session, where Payton delivered a confident performance, securing P1 in the Female Trophy with a lap time of 1:36.532, placing her at the top among her female competitors and well-positioned for Saturday’s action.

Saturday’s Race 2, the first race for Payton this weekend, brought plenty of moments. Despite receiving a four-place grid penalty, Payton remained focused and executed a composed race, crossing the finish line first in the Female Trophy and P8 in the Rookie classification. That’s a strong result considering the highly competitive grid and the early-season pressure.

Sunday’s races tested her resilience once again. In her second race of the weekend, Payton was hit by another car early in the race, causing rear-right suspension damage and forcing her to retire. The team at Van Amersfoort Racing responded with incredible determination, working hard to prepare the car in time for the last race at Misano, in which they succeeded.

In the final race of the weekend, Payton delivered a mature drive to finish P2 in the Female Trophy and P12 among the Rookies, showing strong a recovery from the previous race.

With Round 1 now complete, Payton sets her sights on Round 2 at Vallelunga, taking place May 23–25. There, she will look to continue building momentum and gaining experience in one of the world’s most competitive junior single-seater series.

A presto!