With a very Argentine accent: Alpha 54, the new team for Italian F4

Founded by Nicolás Bianco and Gregorio Mandrini, the team will debut this year in the tournament and will arrive with the support of the ACA, YPF and the Government of CABA.

Nicolás Bianco and Gregorio Mandrini forged a great friendship by sharing hours, trips and work as mechanics for the Racing Bulls F1 team. Bianco arrived in Europe in 2015 and began working in the team that attended the Honda WTCC, during the years of Pechito López’s dominance. Mandrini began his work in an F4 team. The path took them both to the Faenza team, which was born as Minardi, then was called Toro Rosso, became Alpha Tauri and today is Racing Bulls. Formula 1 topics tend to be very cosmopolitan, but the two Argentines became closer. And between mate and mate, three years ago the goal of forming our own team arose. The thing is that as a mechanic, within F1, it is difficult to climb the scaffolding of a structure, generally they are mechanics until the end. Bianco and Mandrini wanted more and After putting together the project in detail, Alpha 54 Racing was born, the team that will compete in Italian Formula 4 and which is based, of course, in Faenza.

“It all started two or three years ago, it started as a joke because it was a crazy idea, but you give it shape. We started everything from scratch and as it should be, it is not half measures,” Mandrini confesses to AM850.com in the hall on the first floor of the Automóvil Club Argentino central buildingwhere the presentation of a team that will be very Argentine was made. Alpha 54 Racing will have the support of the ACA, YPF and the Government of the City of Buenos Aires (it was represented by Fabián Turnes, Secretary of Sports). And, of course, the pilots will be Argentine. Thiago Palotini, 15 years old, and Federico Díaz, 17.

The ACA will thus once again be part of an international project after 18 years in general and more than half a century in formula cars. The institution financially helped Juan Manuel Fangio and Froilán González in the 1950s. The strongest link was in the early 70s, when he built a team completely from scratch for European Formula 2, from where Carlos Reutemann jumped to F1. Benedicto Campos, Carlos Ruesch, Chiche Caldarella, Osvaldo Brescia, Ruben Bulla, Miguel Angle Guerra, Juan María Traverso and Cocho López are other names of pilots who participated in the ACA programs. Further back in time, in 2008 the Escudería ACA was formed in FIA GT, and they came to race with two Ferraris in Potrero de los Funes, with Esteban Tuero, Pechito López, Gastón Mazzacane and Martín Basso.

Manrini explained to AM850.com how this agreement came about with the brand new team he created with Bianco: “It was a meeting of objectives, what they and we were looking for. Something was achieved together that arose with Argentina’s support for us there. This is a bridge between Argentina and Europe, it is the starting point for all Argentines in Europe and in a team in which they feel comfortable.”

Both Palotini and Díaz were selected by the team, not the ACA. Under the gaze of Bianco, Mandrini and Eric Borsani, former pilot and sports director of Alpha 54, carried out tests with several boys until they finally closed ranks with Díaz and Palotini. In fact, Díaz (last year he raced in Formula Plus, Formula National and Brazilian F4) had already arranged his contract with the Faenza team before the agreement with ACA, YPF and the Government of CABA became known. Both drivers must also contribute a budget for the team. According to what a source close to Alpha 54 told AM850.com, a year of Italian F4 is around 500,000 euros and includes testing and winter races. Part of that money will have to come from the runners.

The team will have two cars and will be a completely Argentine team. Although, like every team in the world, it will have a little of everything. The two engineers will be Spanish and each car will have two mechanics. The agreement that was presented this Monday in the ACA building is only for 2026. “The agreement is for this year, but with the option of renewal. Since we have the chance to start the project it is good. We do not usually do short-term projects rather, medium and long ones,” Eduardo Baca, president of the Automobile Sports Commission, responded to AM850.com’s query during the conference.

The support of the Buenos Aires government is institutional and economic, with money that comes from the coffers of the sports secretariat, as Turnes assured this medium. Regarding the goal for 2026, Bianco explained: “I think we are going to be very well positioned on the starting grid, it is a long-term project. The expectation is to have a good year and we want the drivers and the team to grow.”

What is the Italian F4?

The tournament was born in 2014 and, although it is not the only F4 in Europe, it is the strongest, especially since the disappearance of the German one. It uses Tatuus chassis and 170 horsepower Abarth engines. All teams have the same weapons. This year, the calendar will have seven dates: the first will be May 10 in Misano. In addition, he will visit Vallelunga (5/22), Monza (6/21), Misano (9/20), Mugello (7/26), Imola (9/6) and Mugello, again, on 11/1. Each date has training sessions, two classifications and three races.

Three drivers who are currently in F1 appear on the list of category champions: Lance Stroll (2014), Ollie Bearman (2021) and Kimi Antonelli (2022). In addition, Argentine Marcos Siebert won the crown in 2016 in a duel in which he defeated Mick Schumacher.