The Venue This Time: Imola
Tamás Gender Jr. continues his 2026 international campaign at the legendary Imola circuit. The 16-year-old Hungarian racing driver is the only Hungarian competitor in the 49-car international field of the Italian Formula 4 Championship, where he goes head-to-head with drivers from the Formula 1 junior academies of Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, and Williams.
Building on Strong Foundations
Although this is Tamás Gender Jr.'s first full season in single-seater racing, he has already gained experience across three international championships. He began the year in the Middle East, competing at the Formula 1 venues of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Qatar, before continuing his programme in Europe in both the Italian Formula 4 Championship and the E4 Championship.
Competing Against the Best
Both European series are considered among the strongest Formula 4 competitions in the world. Their grids feature some of the most promising young drivers from across the globe, competitors with multiple years of single-seater experience, and racers backed by Formula 1 development programmes. Despite being a rookie, the Hungarian driver has already secured a points-scoring finish during the first half of the season while repeatedly demonstrating strong race pace and overtaking ability. One of the clearest examples came during the race weekend at Paul Ricard in France.
The French Breakthrough
At the circuit that previously hosted the Formula 1 French Grand Prix, Tamás Gender Jr. gained a combined total of 36 positions across the weekend's three races compared to his starting positions. His race pace also ranked among the top ten fastest laps of the field on several occasions. He achieved all of this at just 16 years of age and during his very first full Formula 4 season.
The Work Never Stopped
The summer break was anything but a holiday. Over the past few weeks, Tamás tested at both Imola and Misano while continuing his physical and mental preparation programme. The objective was clear: transform the experience gained during the opening months of the season into increasingly consistent performances throughout the second half of the year.
"We deliberately chose the path of competing in the strongest possible championships right from my first full season in single-seaters. Here, every lap and every position has to be earned the hard way, but that's exactly where the biggest learning opportunities come from. We've worked a lot over the past few weeks and tested at both Imola and Misano. I know there's still a long way to go and plenty to improve, but I can feel that we're getting closer and closer to the level where we want to be," said Tamás Gender Jr.
An international group of specialists supports the Hungarian driver. His European racing programme is run with R-ace GP, while his physical and mental preparation is guided by the experts of Hintsa Performance, an organisation renowned for its work in elite international sport.
A Career Path Driven by Excellence
Tamás Gender Jr. is building his career within the international development pathway that leads towards Formula 1. However, the current focus is not on reaching the next category as quickly as possible. Instead, the goal is to convert the experience gained in one of the world's most competitive Formula 4 fields into consistent performances and increasingly strong results.
Carrying Momentum Into the Second Half of the Season
The next stop is Imola's Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, which hosts the fifth round of the Italian Formula 4 Championship. The competitiveness of the series is reflected by qualifying sessions where numerous drivers are often separated by only a few hundredths of a second. The 16-year-old Hungarian enters the second half of the season with the same philosophy that has guided his development so far: compete against the strongest opponents, learn, improve, and move step by step closer to his ultimate goal.
All races from the weekend can be watched live on the official Italian F4 YouTube channel.
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WEEKEND SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
Free Practice 1 - 08:45
Free Practice 2 - 13:05
Qualifying - 17:10
SATURDAY
Race 1 (Group B+C) - 11:10
Race 2 (Group A+B) - 17:30
SUNDAY
Race 3 (Group A+C) - 09:45
FINAL - 13:30
