The 2026 E4 Championship came to an end at Monza in thrilling fashion, with the title fight remaining undecided until the final lap of Race 3. Coming into the season finale as the favourite, Kenzo Craigie lived up to expectations by winning Race 1. However, his title ambitions were thrown into doubt by an incident in Race 2. Just as he was closing in on securing the championship mathematically, the R-ace GP driver was hit from behind and forced to retire, while his rival Luka Sammalisto finished second. The dramatic turn of events brought the US Racing Finn, already crowned Italian F4 Championship champion this season, right back into contention, just eight points behind Craigie.
Starting Race 3 from 11th on the grid, Sammalisto fought his way through the field to take victory. Craigie, a Mercedes junior driver, faced a more challenging race and found himself running fourth in the closing stages, a position that would have cost him the title by just two points. Teamwork proved decisive: Andy Consani, who was running third at the time, allowed his teammate through, giving Craigie the position he needed to secure the E4 Championship title.
The season-long duel therefore ended with Craigie and Sammalisto tied on 190 points. The title went to Kenzo Craigie thanks to his superior number of race wins across the season, four compared to his rival’s three. The R-ace GP driver also secured the Rookie title.
US Racing claimed the Teams’ Trophy, while Italian driver Ginevra Panzeri of PA Racing won the female classification.
The most competitive E4 Championship since the series was founded delivered plenty of action throughout the final race weekend, and Race 3 was no exception. Andy Consani, a Mercedes junior driver racing for R-ace GP, started from pole position, but a strong launch from his Brazilian teammate Augustus Toniolo saw him take the lead. Having been caught up in incidents in both previous races, Toniolo took control and defended against the attacks behind him. His battle with Sammalisto was particularly spectacular as the Finn fought his way up from 10th on the grid.
There was also an intense battle between Kenzo Craigie and fellow R-ace GP driver Ludovico Busso, which included contact during the most heated exchanges.
The Sicilian driver subsequently lost ground at the First Chicane in the closing stages, following a restart after the Safety Car had been deployed for Dean Pedersen (CRAM Motorsport), whose car had come to a halt.
At the chequered flag, Luka Sammalisto took victory ahead of Brazilian driver Augustus Toniolo. Kenzo Craigie finished third, allowing him to celebrate his championship success on the podium. His teammate Andy Consani came home fourth, ahead of Alex Ruta of Van Amersfoort Racing.
Iacopo Martinese finished sixth overall and third in the Rookie classification. The US Racing driver, representing ACI Team Italia, enjoyed his best weekend of the season, securing two overall podium finishes: second in Race 1 and third in Race 2. Seventh place went to fellow US Racing driver Oleksandr Savinkov, ahead of Sicilian racer Ludovico Busso, who had fought hard for a podium before losing positions following a late mistake. Czech driver Dominik Simek of Trident Motorsport finished ninth, followed by Australian Noah Killion of US Racing.
Swiss driver Georgiy Zasov of Prema Racing finished 11th, ahead of Thomas Bearman of Van Amersfoort Racing. Teo Borenstein of Jenzer Motorsport took 13th, with Roman Kamyab of Prema Racing and Florentin Hattemer of Trident Motorsport completing the top 15. In the female classification, Payton Westcott took the Race 3 victory, finishing 23rd overall.
The results of Race 3 remain provisional pending the completion of technical and sporting checks.
Kenzo Craigie: “Throughout this whole championship, we have been really consistent and really fast. We had a really good weekend in Vallelunga, at Paul Ricard and here in Monza, winning a race at every single round. It was a really good campaign, and I can’t thank the team, Mercedes, my parents, my little sister Chloe, everyone who supported me along the way and my teammates enough. After this morning, things were looking a little dangerous, but now everything has worked out and it’s looking good. The two wins at Paul Ricard put me into the championship lead, which I held throughout this whole weekend. I think that was really the turning point. We have a test in Mugello on Tuesday, so we have to get back to work, but there will definitely be some celebrations with the team and everyone else. I’m really happy.”
Luka Sammalisto: “I knew that when we came to the last race, I had to win. I gave it everything I had, and even more. I finished P1 on track, so there was nothing more I could do. Kenzo finished P3, and I couldn’t win the championship. I’m really happy with the team, the car and the last race. I gave it everything I had, but this time it wasn’t enough. Still, it was a really good race.”
Augustus Toniolo: “There is nothing to complain about this weekend. It was a really good weekend for me, and we learned a lot. We even took pole position in qualifying and secured third for Race 3. I was unlucky in Races 1 and 2, but there is a lot to learn from those experiences so we can come back stronger. I’m happy with the result I brought home, especially for the team, who worked so hard to repair the car. Thank you very much, Trident!”