Alp Aksoy Finished the E4 Championship Close to the Podium in Just Six Races

Alp Aksoy proved that what he does on track matters more than the number of races, finishing fourth in the overall standings with only six starts in the nine-race E4 season.
Alp Aksoy proved that what he does on track matters more than the number of races, finishing fourth in the overall standings with only six starts in the nine-race E4 season.

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Alp Aksoy finished the 2026 E4 Championship fourth overall and second in the rookie classification, despite competing in only six of the nine-round series. Unable to take part in the season's final round at Monza due to ongoing long-term visa procedures, the young driver nevertheless managed to stay at the top of both classifications thanks to his performances in the races he entered. This is one of the rare examples showing that what matters in a Formula 4 season is not the number of races, but what you do in the races you compete in.

Highlights

  • Aksoy was able to compete in only 6 of the 9 races of the E4 Championship.
  • He finished the season 4th overall, and 2nd in the rookie classification.
  • He missed the final three races at Monza due to visa issues .
  • He became the first Turkish driver to join the Ferrari Driver Academy.
  • He will race in the 2027 FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA).

A Nine-Race Series, A Six-Race Season

The 2026 E4 Championship was one of Europe's major Formula 4 organizations, consisting of three rounds and nine races in total. Alp Aksoy, competing in PREMA Racing colors, was able to take to the track in only six of these nine races. The three-race Monza round ended earlier than planned for him: due to delays in his ongoing long-term visa procedures, he had to withdraw from the season's final stops.

At this point, it is worth looking at the math of the matter. Missing three of nine races means zero points for each missed race. In other words, Aksoy's fourth place in the overall classification stands on the strength of the results he collected in the six races he entered, against rivals who completed all races, including the three he missed. His second place in the rookie classification carries a similar quality: the races he finished on the podium and in the top positions throughout the season proved productive enough to compensate for the two missed races.

Let me say this as someone who has been following this business for over thirty years: such a result is rare on the racetrack. In the past, a driver with missed races would crawl in the lower layers of the standings; today, a driver who regularly makes the podium can afford even the missed weekends. Aksoy's season is exactly an example of this.

How Did the Monza Absence and Visa Problem Unfold?

Monza'daki vize engeli bir başarısızlık değil, pist performansından bağımsız bir takvim boşluğuydu; Alp Aksoy elindeki altı yarışı iki klasmanda da madalyaya çevirdi.

As the season's final round at Monza approached, Aksoy's calculations were clear: he was in the fight for the top of the rookie classification, and the final three races would be decisive in this battle. However, a problem in the ongoing long-term visa procedures emerged as an obstacle during race week, and the driver had to withdraw from the Monza races.

This should not be read as a failure. For a foreign driver in the sixteen-year-old age group competing at Formula 4 level, the visa calendar is a variable independent of on-track performance and entirely beyond anyone's control. Aksoy could not overcome this obstacle; but he managed to turn the six races he had into meaningful results in both classifications. Moreover, he was able to return to the track shortly after the withdrawal: he was expected to take part in the Italy F4 races at Mugello, Italy, roughly three weeks later. In other words, Monza remained not a rupture in his career but a gap in the calendar.

How Was Fourth Overall and Second Among Rookies Possible With Only Six Races?

The answer to this question lies in the results spread across the season as a whole. With PREMA Racing, Aksoy achieved a total of three victories in 2026 in the races under the Italy F4 and Euro 4 banners. He caught an intense podium rhythm during certain weekends within the season: in the first Italy F4 weekend he took two wins and a third place, scoring three podiums and settling into the overall classification lead with 82 points; at the Misano round, he completed all three Italy F4 races on the overall classification podium.

It is no surprise that a driver who entered the E4 Championship at this pace stayed at the top despite the missed races. While his rivals accumulated points over nine races, Aksoy turned almost every race he entered into points-paying finishes. Reading the fourth place in the overall classification together with the second place in the rookie classification is also significant: the rookie standings show the balance among drivers racing in an F4 car in their first year. The fact that these two classifications closed at this level simultaneously is the clearest sign that the season went consistently.

The Season's Other Front: The Italy F4 and the Rookie Championship Target

Aksoy's 2026 calendar was not limited to a single championship. The young driver racing in Italy F4 with PREMA produced results there as well; he claimed a victory and a podium at Paul Ricard in Formula 4 France, closing the points gap to the leader. At the end of the season, in the Italy F4 test at Monza, he set the fastest time on behalf of PREMA - a small but meaningful indicator that his familiarity with the track yielded a return from the race weekend he missed.

The main target, however, begins after the E4 season ends: in the season finale of the Italy F4 Championship, to be run on October 30 – November 1, 2026, Aksoy will contest the rookie championship. The counterpart, on the Italy F4 side, of the title chance he lost in E4 will be this finale. A small opportunity on the scale of four wheels but large in career terms: a rookie championship at Formula 4 level is a title that usually keeps the door to the next step open.

Ferrari Driver Academy: The First Turkish Driver to Join Its Program

The biggest news following the close of the E4 season was Aksoy's inclusion in Ferrari's 2027 Driver Academy roster. Aksoy, the first Turkish racing driver to join the Italian marque's young driver program, will be evaluated within the academy under a long-term collaboration of up to five years. By the nature of such programs, a driver's race calendar, training, and development plan are tied directly to the team's roadmap; in other words, this is not a sponsorship deal but a career management move.

Assessments reflected from Aksoy's own circle indicate that this step is a stepping stone on the road to Formula 1. There is no need to be overly optimistic, nor unrealistic: entering through the door of the Ferrari Academy is the beginning of an opportunity, not a commitment. Everyone who has spent long years in this business knows that not every driver who comes out of the academy reaches Formula 1. Still, the presence of a sixteen-year-old Turkish driver in this program is a milestone with institutional significance for Turkish motorsport.

The 2027 FRECA Plan and Tests at Istanbul Park

With his identity as a Ferrari Academy driver, Aksoy's destination for 2027 is clear: the FIA Formula Regional European Championship, or FRECA for short. In this series, one step above Formula 4, the cars come with more wings, more powerful engines, and higher aerodynamic load; the drivers' responsibility for fitness and adaptation increases noticeably. The performance shown in Formula Regional Europe will be decisive for the next steps of Aksoy's career.

Part of the preparation is continuing in Türkiye: Aksoy is continuing his tests with a FRECA car at Istanbul Park. The permanent straights and the sequence of uphill and downhill corners of this circuit on the Anatolian side offer a generous canvas for understanding a Formula Regional car. For a driver raised in Türkiye to be lapping in this category's car in Türkiye was a picture that could not even have been imagined a few years ago; now it is a line item in the daily schedule.

A Measured Note on the Points Calculations

In some posts about the close of the season, it was reported that Aksoy amassed 112 points in the overall classification and 152 points in the rookie classification; however, different figures are circulating across different platforms, particularly regarding the rookie points. Such discrepancies in the points tables may stem from details concerning classification definitions and which races were counted under which scope. Two certain data points are the classification standings from the official channel: fourth place overall and runner-up among rookies. The weight of this page also rests on these two results, whose accuracy is beyond dispute.

Conclusion: Races Missed, Season Completed

Alp Aksoy's 2026 E4 Championship was not a flawless season in the classic sense; missing the race at Monza was a shortcoming that no athlete would want to accept. But finishing 4th overall and 2nd among rookies across the six races he entered is a result that stands strong in terms of the season's efficiency. On top of that, the doors of the Ferrari Driver Academy opening and his name being written into the 2027 FRECA calendar are more than enough to erase the shadow of the missed race. The next stop is the rookies' title fight in the Italian F4 finale; after that come the tougher realities of Formula Regional Europe. Let me say this as someone who has been in this business a long time: if the doors keep opening at this pace, that empty weekend at Monza will not linger in memories for very long.

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