British rising stars Freddie Slater and Oliver Bearman continued their rapid rise through the FIA Karting and Single-Seater pathways with resounding performances in both the World Karting Championship and Italian Formula 4 categories last weekend (30-31 October).
Having already wrapped up the title three weeks prior at Mugello, Bearman signed off a superlative campaign in Italy’s FIA Formula 4 series with a hat-trick of victories in challenging weather conditions at Monza.
A last-lap move at Variante del Rettifilo in the opening race gave the 16-year-old his ninth victory of a silverware-laden campaign, and a repeat of the move, albeit with two laps to go, after a tricky safety car restart for rival Andrea Kimi Antonelli allowed Bearman to double up.
The Chelmsford-born driver then completed a dominant weekend with an impressive drive on slick tyres despite the damp track surface from earlier rain showers. Bearman went unchallenged after a first-lap pass for the lead and ended the season over 100 points clear of his nearest rival in the standings.
For Slater, a penalty for a damaged nosecone denied the Brit back-to-back Junior World Karting Championship title at the final hurdle at Campillos Karting Circuit in Spain.
A lightning start moved Slater from the midfield into the top three, and his charge continued with further passes on David Walther and Tomass Stolcermanis to assume the race lead.
However, the knock picked up on his fight through the order netted Slater a five-second penalty from the officials and, although he took the chequered flag to win ‘on the road’ after a valiant push to extend his advantage accordingly, the difference moved him behind chief title rival Kean Nakamura Berta by 0.256 seconds.
That ensured Slater, who won the European title back in July, would finish runner-up to Nakamura, another driver to have served his apprenticeship in the UK, including numerous victories in the British Karting Championship.
In the Senior category, another veteran of the BKC and former British Cadet Champion, Arvid Lindblad, took second in the provisional classification, but was also moved back for a nosecone penalty, the Red Bull Junior Team member forced to settle for third.