Alp Aksoy Took to the Podium with Prema at Misano

Fifteen-year-old Alp Aksoy, who took to the podium and won the rookie class at Misano, climbed to second place in the overall standings in Italian F4.
Fifteen-year-old Alp Aksoy, who took to the podium and won the rookie class at Misano, climbed to second place in the overall standings in Italian F4.

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Alp Aksoy had one of the strongest weekends of the season in the first race of the sixth round of the Italian F4 Championship, run at the Misano circuit in September: as Christian Costoya, who converted a second-place start into a win, took the top step, Aksoy climbed onto the podium right behind him, winning the rookie class. The 15-year-old Turkish driver racing under Prema Racing colors started the second race from fourth on the grid and finished it in fourth. Sitting second in the overall standings and leading the rookie class ahead of the penultimate round of the season, Aksoy is on a trajectory that fully earns such a picture in his debut season.

Highlights

  • Podium No. 2: Second overall and first among rookies in the first race of the September Misano round
  • Rookie victory: At Misano, Aksoy won the separate classification for drivers in their first season.
  • Overall picture: Second overall and rookie leader after the sixth round of the season.
  • May Misano: Took the championship lead with two wins and a third place, collecting 82 points in the season opener.

Rain at Misano: How Aksoy's Podium and Rookie Victory Came About

Misano'da yağmur sadece sıralama turlarını değil, Alp Aksoy'un podyumunu ve çaylak zaferini de şekillendirdi.

Over the weekend run at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, the weather was the decisive factor in both qualifying sessions and both races. On a rain-dominated Friday, Aksoy set the third-fastest time in the second qualifying group; Ary Bansal took pole position with a 1:54.654 - the first pole of Bansal's career.

Starting the first race from third on the grid, Aksoy made a strong launch, slotted straight into second and held the position to the flag. The young driver, who saw the checkered flag second overall, also won the rookie class made up of drivers competing in their first season, claiming his victory in that classification. Up front, Bansal, who started from pole, stretched out to take the win, his second of the season. Christian Costoya crossed the line first on track, with Edward Robinson third.

Aksoy started the second race from fourth and finished it in the same position. He thus closed out Friday-Saturday with a podium, a rookie victory and a fourth place, going down as one of the standout names of the weekend. With only one round left in the season, this form is no coincidence.

What Is the Rookie Class, and Why Is Aksoy Chasing a Separate Championship There?

In F4 series, the rookie (Rookie) class is a separate classification, kept independent of the overall standings, for drivers going through their first season in formula racing. Especially in one of the most competitive examples of national F4 championships, such as Italian F4, a rookie having a separate classification while racing for the same team as experienced or second-season drivers offers a more honest indicator of their development. The masters of this game know it well: scoring points in F4 in your first season is already hard; leading a separate classification is a skill of its own.

Aksoy didn't just win this class on the September Misano weekend; as of the season's second-to-last round, he sat 2nd in the overall standings and led the rookie class. He also finished the Euro 4 Championship 2nd among rookies and 4th overall - meaning he managed to finish near the top on the rookie scale in two different series.

The Season's May Opening: 82 Points and the Lead in the First Weekend

To understand where this season came from, one needs to look at the opening round in May. Italian F4 kicked off the season at Misano once again on May 7-10, 2026. Starting from pole position in the season's first race, Aksoy ran 2nd on track; when Niccolò Maccagnani, whom we saw ahead, was penalized for a start procedure violation, Aksoy was declared the winner. Setting the fastest lap of the 16-lap race with a 1:35.907 also showed that his form was no coincidence. The Prema drivers dominated the top three: Oleksandr Bondarev 2nd, Aly Balsan 3rd.

The entire first weekend was even more striking: Aksoy made the podium three times with two wins and one third place, and collecting 82 of the possible 90 points he became the first driver to lead the championship. The sentence he said after that weekend was like a summary of the whole season:

We finally showed our potential.
Alp Aksoy, racing driver

He is a driver who speaks openly about what his goal is. Saying "My goal is always to finish first," Aksoy had long since proven this claim was not empty talk with his karting results - a third place in the WSK Euro Series Viterbo round in the OK category in 2025 and the Formula Trophy UAE championship in his first car racing season.

The DNF at Imola and the Season's Real Lesson

A rookie's first F4 season does not progress in a straight line; anyone who doesn't know this hasn't spent enough time at the pit wall. In the Imola round, although Aksoy finished the first race 6th, completing it 2nd among the rookies, he retired from the season's 3rd and final race due to contact. The result: the championship lead passed to Sammalisto, and Aksoy slipped to 3rd in the overall standings. A typical lesson for every young driver moving from karting to formula categories - the penalty for contact shows up instantly in the points table.

The season then continued. In the 4th round at Mugello, Aksoy finished the races 7th, 6th and 5th respectively; he took a double podium with a third place and a second place in the Rookie class. The season's 5th round was also held at Misano; taking two second places and one third from the three races, Aksoy seemed to have grown accustomed to the podium. The return of the September Misano round - a podium, a rookie victory, and a fourth place - stands on this accumulation.

What Do the Points Situation and Championship Table Show?

Having taken the overall lead with 82 points after the May opener, at that moment Aksoy's closest follower in the table was Niccolò Maccagnani with 66 points, behind him were Cosma Cristofor with 61 points and Ary Bansal with 60 points. As the season progressed, the picture changed: the retirement at Imola handed the lead to Sammalisto, and according to the official championship website, Sammalisto was ultimately declared the 2026 Italian F4 champion; Costoya took a hat-trick in the final round at Misano. Aksoy went into the season's closing weekend after the penultimate round standing 2nd overall and leading the Rookie class. He came into it from Euro 4 with rookie runner-up status and 4th place overall.

When reading this picture, one nuance must also be noted: both the current standings, such as 2nd overall and the Rookie lead in the 2026 Italian F4, and Sammalisto's championship have been recorded; which round matches which data forms a consistent picture when read together with the class definitions. In a season where the champion is already decided, leading the Rookie class and finishing 2nd overall represents a harvest not to be underestimated for a first year.

Prema Training and the Rise of Turkish Drivers on the Formula Ladder

Another important layer of Aksoy's rise is the team that put him behind the wheel. Prema Racing is an institution through which numerous drivers groomed for Formula 1 have passed over the years via the F4, F3 and F2 rungs; in the past, the prospect of young drivers joining such a roster was considered a distant dream from Türkiye's perspective. Now a Turkish child born in 2010 is stepping onto the podium from this team's F4 cockpit. According to information relayed by TOSFED, Aksoy stood out from the very first day in the Prema tests.

His career path is also familiar: Aksoy, who took his first steps in Türkiye, continued his development in Dubai after moving there with his family; he achieved international results in karting and then moved into formula categories. The goal he has stated openly is to become the first Turkish driver racing in Formula 1 by 2030. Pursuing such a goal, every rung is costly and every point is valuable.

The broader context also provides a helping wind: it has been announced that Istanbul Park will remain on the Formula 1 calendar from 2027 for at least five years, until the end of the 2031 season. At a time when the country's motorsport is highly visible, the story of a Turkish rookie on the podium at Misano for Prema constitutes a reference point beyond being simply a nice piece of news.

It is also fitting to add one small note: Aksoy had to withdraw from the F4 final at Monza due to a glitch in his visa renewal process. That such practical obstacles must also be written into the list alongside on-track development is a reminder of just how multi-dimensional this ladder is.

Toward the Season's Close: What to Expect from Aksoy?

Climbing onto the podium in the rain during the penultimate round of the season, winning the rookie class, and taking a points-scoring fourth place in the second race bring strong form into the season finale. Although the championship has mathematically slipped away to Sammalisto, the real matter for Aksoy is carrying second place overall and the rookie class lead into the finale - and the value of that, for a first season, will be understood much sooner than it appears today. The note of someone who has watched this field for thirty years is clear: great drivers emerge not from results that satisfy early, but from drivers who draw a consistent curve. Aksoy's curve, for now, is pointing in the right direction.

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