The challenging circuit at Mugello (Tuscany, Italy) hosted the third round of the Italian F.4 Championship Powered by Abarth and saw Joao Vieira take his first podium of the series.

The third place was the icing on the cake of a good weekend which blew away the disappointment of Imola

Joao Vieira scored an excellent hat-trick with three finishes in the points-zone in as many races, for a total of 32 points.

After claiming the third row in the two rounds of Qualifying on Saturday morning, with the fifth and sixth fastest time, the 16-year-old Brazilian driver from Gurupi scored points in the first two races, thanks to an excellent fifth place in Race-1 and a seventh place in the sprint race.

The greatest satisfaction came in the last race where his attacking attitude, from fourteenth position led him to the third step of the podium

“I’m really happy both for the first podium and for the weekend. Since the first times on the track, in the tests of the past weeks, I’ve liked it very much, because it’s very fast and technical. Therefore very suitable to my style of driving. I must also thank all the staff of Antonelli Motorsport – they are really very good – as well as the trainers of the Driver Programme Center. This podium has to be just the beginning”, Joao Vieira comments.

Giovanni Minardi“I’m really satisfied. During the test, I was immediately impressed and this podium is the confirmation of the good technical and speed qualities of Joao. Mugello is a challenging track and he was very good at not making any mistakes. In Race-3, despite a non-perfect start, he recovered several positions until he took the podium. A result that boosts the morale for the second half of the season”.

The results improves his position in the overall ranking taking him into the top 8 with 33 points.