Jamaica’s rising motorsport star, Alex Powell, continued his thrilling ascent through the racing ranks, as he recently captured his first victory in Formula 4 at the European 4 Championships in Monza, Italy.
 
For the American-born driver, who has repeatedly demonstrated his immense potential on the karting circuits, the transition to Formula 4 has been both a learning curve and a major step up, but it’s one he’s fully embracing.
 
Powell, 17, has been in the spotlight for some time, with his karting career marked by consistent performances that hinted at future greatness. Now, with his first Formula 4 win under his belt, Powell is starting to make waves in the highly competitive single-seater category, where precision, skill, and perseverance are critical. 
 
Reflecting on this new chapter in his career, which started just over six weekends ago, Powell was candid about the challenges and triumphs of competing at a higher level.
 
"Obviously, life in F4 is a lot different from life in karting. Karting was a very familiar atmosphere and a very familiar culture for so many years of my life. So, you know, after a while, it became more of a routine as opposed to learning something new. Although it was always moving into new categories, into higher categories; it was pretty much the same principle as opposed to now in F4 and generally single seaters, it's a very different approach, not only to the race weekend but also to everyday life," Powell told SportsMax.TV in a recent interview from his base in Italy.
 
"Because you really have to take the initiative to know that you're now becoming a professional athlete. So essentially, you need to do things that a professional athlete would do, and it's a big switch, or it was, at least for me, to adapt from the karting sort of mentality to the new car mentality. That everyday life sort of difference took a while to get used to, but now it's obviously more natural to me...it's coming more naturally, and it's all positive now," the Mercedes AMG Petronas prodigy added.
 
The jump from karting to Formula 4 is one that requires more than just talent. Powell has had to invest significant time in learning the technical intricacies of his car and how to communicate effectively with his engineers. The shift also demands a new level of fitness and mental focus. 
 
"It's been a successful season at times, but also a very tough one at other times. I guess it just shows that at the end of the day, it's still motorsports, and it still gives you the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. So, yeah, adapting to the new car and to the new feel took a lot of hard work as well. Of course, knowing that you're going from one discipline of racing pretty much to a completely different one, it really was a lot of hard work to really understand it's still coming to me. I still have a few things to learn , especially during the race as well. So it's still all part of the learning process that I'm going through at the moment," Powell shared.
 
The recent win for Powell was a breakthrough accomplishment that has only heightened his hunger for more.
 
 
"Winning my first race was an amazing feeling because we finished on the podium multiple times, finishing second and third. So, it's something you work so hard for, and when it finally comes together, it’s almost unreal. But at the same time, it's a huge motivation going forward," Powell, whose father John Powell is a former rally driver, declared.
 
"It shows that I can compete with the best, but there’s always more work to be done. Every race is a learning experience, and I want to keep building on this success, as it gives you that extra push to keep improving,” he noted.
 
Behind Powell’s success is a relentless drive and dedication that have been his trademarks since his karting days. His routine, as it was then, includes long hours spent working closely with his team on data analysis, and staying disciplined with his physical training.
 
“To be competitive in Formula 4, you need more than just raw talent. It’s about how much effort you’re willing to put in. There are no shortcuts. So I’m always trying to find that extra bit of performance, whether it’s improving my lap times or understanding the car better. It’s a continuous process of growth,” he stated.
 
Despite the pressures of competing at such a high level, Powell remains grounded, thanks in part to the support of his family and fans. In fact, he has given very little thought about his future prospects, opting instead to focus on immediate challenges.
 
"I'm not looking very far in the future solely because I find that it's common for the concentration to drift off a little bit if you find yourself thinking too much into the future. For me, at this current point in time, it's just focusing on what's coming up next as well as to put in the work, both mentally and physically," he affirmed. 
 
"I think if I'm able to do that and apply the things that I want to apply and prepare well for every weekend, then the results will follow. But for me, what's most important is just to make sure that I'm really present, not results driven, more performance, and really looking on how I can improve myself in every area," Powell, a cousin to 100m sub-10 king Asafa Powell, ended.
 
 
 
 

Jamaican Alex Powell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Junior, claimed his first European F4 victory in one of the most exciting races of the year at the famed ‘Temple of Speed’, Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Monza, Italy, on Sunday.

Ninth on the grid for the first race of the weekend, Powell had a blistering start, which saw him move up four positions on lap one, before the first of several Safety Car appearances paused racing. It was a race with multiple incidents and re-starts, but Powell remained focused and was consistently sharp for every start.

After a three-way battle, the Jamaican sensation executed a breathtaking pass for the race lead, before a final incident brought out the Safety Car again, with Powell crossing the line first as the race finished.

In addition to the outright race win, Powell also secured first among rookie drivers, claiming the two top trophies in the race. His performance also assisted Prema Racing to secure the team title for the 2024 Euro 4 Championship.

Jamaica's karting sensation Alex Powell is gearing up to write a new chapter in his racing career, as he recently inked a deal with Prema Racing to compete in its 2024 Formula 4 programme.

Powell, who displayed immense potential on the karting circuit where he secured numerous top three finishes in some of Europe's top-class championships, is now aiming to add to his karting successes, though he is well aware that Formula 4 presents much more formidable opponents.

“I’m happy to continue my journey with Prema Racing, since I started with them earlier in karting. We finished off to a great karting career and I look forward to continuing developing as a single seater driver with this incredible team. I’m grateful for this opportunity and I will continue to do my best with the amazing support of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team Junior Programme," Powell declared.

Powell, a Mercedes-AMG F1 protege, whetted his appetite for Formula 4 competition late last year, and will on this occasion, enjoy his first full season in European and Italian Formula 4 championships.

Prema Racing's Team Principal Angelo Rosin welcomed Jamaican Powell to Prema’s Formula 4 team for 2024, noting that the 16-year-old is the first drive to transition from Prema’s karting team to its F4 team.

“Alex is a really promising driver. We followed him during his early years, and we were delighted to welcome him to our new karting team for 2023. When he made the step up to cars, he was impressive despite the steep learning curve and made solid improvements every time he went on track…we are looking forward to seeing what’s ahead for us," Rosin said.

Having had a fairly successful taste of Formula Four (F4) action recently, Tommi Gore has developed an insatiable hunger for more, as he hopes to chart a fruitful career on the circuit.

Gore’s passion and, by extension, unflinching desire to make it big in motorsport is of no surprise given the fact that he comes from a proud racing family that has made its mark in local and regional racing. His father Douglas ‘Hollywood’ Gore is a multiple rally and Dover champion, while his grandfather, Neil, raced at Vernamfield.

And already the young Gore has a solid platform on which he can build, having competed in the final round of the Radical Cup in the United Kingdom, and the final round of the FIA Formula 4 CEZ Championship, over the past month.

At the Radical Cup event held at the Donington Park Circuit, Gore driving for the Rob Weldon-owned Raw Motorsports team, had a series of mixed results in qualifying, but capitalised on wet conditions to not only win in the final race, but also the Sunoco Driver of the Weekend award. 

“This was my first event outside of the Caribbean, and with only one other event in a similar Radical SR3, I know it was going to be difficult to adapt to this new track. But I saw the rain as an opportunity on the final day because I have always been confident in the rain even though I had never driven a Radical in the rain prior.

“So, it was an amazing experience and also great to place my stamp on the international scene and show the world that Jamaicans can be competitive in any genre of any sport that we are passionate about,” Gore told SportsMax.TV.

That performance was followed by the Formula 4 opportunity and while the call for Gore to journey to Hungary came at the last minute, the budding driver knew it was a no-brainer.

“Needless to say, I immediately booked the flight, called sponsors and emailed my professors to advise them that I would miss class,” Gore shared.

For Gore, it was the big break he had longed for, and as fate would have it, he performed beyond expectations.

The 18-year-old placed third in the second race of the weekend, as he staved off the challenge of champion Ethan Ischer and claimed the final podium spot. He also topped the Rookie class in each of his qualifying races and was later named top rookie for the weekend.

“Prior to that weekend I had never even sat in a Formula car let alone drive one, so the Jenzer Motorsport Team’s expectations were very low going in. But by qualifying, I was in the top four and was able to fight for a podium. I finished fourth overall in races one and three to finish out a very solid performance,” Gore shared.

“This was a jaw dropping opportunity, the professionalism of the team and preciseness needed to be on pace with the front runners was beyond imaginable; to only be two tenths of a second off the fastest lap by the final race was applauded by the team, especially knowing that I went up against drivers with two years in these same cars,” he added.

Though the end results were on point for the most part, Gore was not shy to admit that both outings in England and Hungary were mentally and physically draining.

In fact, he recalled that the last minute advise from his father, coupled with his stubborn determination to rise above challenges, as the fuel that drives his ambitions.

“Honestly, they (the races) were not easy; it was very physically and mentally challenging to be on my best performance to seize the opportunities presented. Fortunately, my dad has always been a large figure in my career, from watching his legendary battles with David Summerbell Jnr at Dover Raceway, to him giving me those last-minute tips while on the grid before a race,” Gore reasoned.

He also credits the likes of Peter Rae, Craig Lue, Collin Daley Jnr and Chris Issa for their role in moulding his career into what it is at present.

With his immense potential now clear for all to see, the jovial driver remains optimistic that he will reap the fruits of his labour in the near future.

“My personal goal is to become a paid driver for a racing team, whether that be in prototype cars such as the Radical or Formula cars such as the F4. So, I’ll keep putting in the work, showing what I can do and then let the rest sort itself out,” Gore ended.

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