Starting third on the grid, Italian Olivieri capitalised on a slower getaway by Kean Nakamura-Berta to move into second place before he dispatched pole-sitter Sebastian Wheldon for first place at an estimated 230kph.

Fionn McLaughlin gave chase and inadvertently nudged the rear of Olivieri’s Ligier FIA F4 machine exiting the Melco Hairpin on lap one, before the safety car was deployed to enable volunteer trackside marshals to deal with two separate incidents.

Racing resumed at the end of lap three, and while McLaughlin remained a constant threat, Middle East F4 champion Olivieri maintained his advantage. That grew to 5.687s at the finish after McLaughlin, from Ireland, hit the barrier on the exit of the Melco Hairpin on the final lap and retired with right-rear damaged suspension.

“It was not an easy start but I was quite happy with my jump,” said 17-year-old Olivieri. “But the straight is quite long so I had my opportunity to overtake Wheldon. I thought T2 was quite easy, flat out on the outside, but I guess not because I ended up close to the wall. Anyway it was a good move and I’m very happy to win. It gives me a lot of confidence for tomorrow.”

With McLaughlin slowing, Japan’s Rintaro Sato had to take avoiding action, the Japanese driver’s loss of momentum allowing French F4 runner-up Jules Roussel to snatch second place – by 0.094s – almost within sight of the chequered flag.

Having overtaken Aryaman Bansal at Lisboa on lap five, France’s Rayan Caretti beat his Indian rival to fourth place behind Sato, who completed the provisional podium.

China’s Kimi Yu Tsai Chan finished fifth followed by South Korean Kyuho Lee and Hong Kong driver Shimo Zhang, who finished the race with damaged front-right suspension. Japan’s Itsuki San and Macau racer Man Hei Cheong completed the top 10.

There was early drama when Wheldon out-braked himself and crashed into the tyre barriers at Lisboa Corner on the opening lap, the American swiftly joined by fellow front-row starter Nakamura-Berta. Tiago Golovko Rodrigues then crashed at Moorish Hill a handful of corners later and Thomas Bearman was unable to avoid collecting hm.

The FIA F4 World Cup’s main event is due to start at 09:15 local time on Sunday over 10 laps. Watch live on the FIA’s official YouTube channel.