Victory from start to finish for Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Prema Racing) in Zandvoort: The Italian drove to his sixth win of the season in the ADAC Formula 4 on the current Formula 1 circuit and did not refrain from a safety car phase bring the calm.
His teammate Rafael Camara (17) from Brazil finished as the best rookie. Conrad Laursen (16, DNK) defended his third place until the last lap and completed the pure Prema Racing podium.
“The early safety car phase wasn’t ideal for me, so the small lead was gone straight away. Despite that, I got off to a good start and was able to pull away afterwards. The win gives me self-confidence for the races on Sunday,” explained the 15-year-old.
Emerson Fittipaldi was also among the spectators around the dunes: The two-time Formula 1 world champion hugged his son Emerson Fittipaldi jr. (15/BRA/Van Amersfoort Racing) crossed their fingers on site. Luca Badoer, a former driver in the premier class, also watched his son Brando Badoer (15/ITA/Van Amersfoort Racing) race at the Circuit Zandvoort.
Safety car on lap two
The ADAC high-speed school started for the first time in the 2022 season as part of the ADAC GT Masters. In front of a suitable backdrop, Antonelli took the lead into the first corner at the start of the race in sunshine and temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius and benefited from pole position.
The safety car was already deployed on lap two on the 4.259-kilometre circuit on the North Sea coast, so the field from 14 different nations stayed together for the time being. As the drivers accelerated back up to race pace, Antonelli kept his cool and didn’t let Camara pass.
During the 30-minute race, the Mercedes Junior held the lead and crossed the finish line first. Behind them, Camara secured second place as the best rookie. “My start wasn’t ideal, even after the safety car, Kimi was just quicker on the gas than me. After that, however, I found my way into the race better and I’m satisfied with second place,” said the driver from the Ferrari Driver Academy.
Laursen had to tremble for the podium until the last second, because in the final phase a four-way battle developed for third place. Nikita Bedrin (ITA/PHM Racing) tried to overtake on the final lap, but the 16-year-old couldn’t find a way past third-placed.
“I had grip problems for the entire race. However, Zandvoort is a track where you can still drive at the front despite minor problems. The pressure from the drivers behind me was enormous and given all the circumstances, I’m really happy with third place ‘ Laursen analyzed. Behind him, Bedrin saw the checkered flag in fourth place. The Australian James Wharton (15/Prema Racing) parked his 180 hp Formula 4 car as the second-best rookie in fifth place.
In the final laps, Taylor Barnard (18, PHM Racing) was also involved in the fight for the podium, and the Brit ultimately finished sixth. Charlie Wurz (17/Prema Racing) lost contact with the field at the beginning. In front of his father, the former F1 driver Alex Wurz, the Austrian finished the seventh race of the season at the ADAC Highspeed School in seventh place after catching up.
Norway’s Martinius Stenshorne (16) was the best driver at Van Amersfoort Racing’s home race with eighth place. Maya Weug (18/Iron Dames) from the Netherlands was happy about her best result of the season in ninth place in front of her home crowd. Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. finished the Saturday race in tenth place. As the best driver from Germany, Valentin Kluss (PHM Racing) from Bad Mergentheim was waved off in eleventh. At 15, the ADAC Sports Foundation protégé is the youngest driver this season.
Two races are scheduled for the ADAC Formula 4 on Sunday. Antonelli starts the first race at 09:20 from pole position. At 4:30 p.m. the starting signal for the ninth race of the season will be given. However, due to the reverse grid rule, the first eight drivers will start in reverse order. All races in the ADAC junior series are broadcast free of charge live on sport.de and adac.de/motorsport.
Dates of the ADAC Formula 4 2022, subject to change:
April 22-24, 2022: Spa-Franchorchamps / B 24h series
May 13-15, 2022: Hockenheimring 24h series
June 24-26, 2022: Circuit Zandvoort / NL ADAC GT Masters
August 05-07, 2022: Nürburgring ADAC GT Masters
August 19-21, 2022: Lausitzring ADAC GT Masters
October 14-16, 2022: Nürburgring ADAC Racing Weekend