Felipe Drugovich (16, Brazil) will be contesting his second season in the ADAC High-Speed Academy as a member of Van Amersfoort Racing. The highly respected Zeewolde-based outfit won eleven races and secured 21 podium appearances in 2016. It also celebrated the drivers' title with Australia's Joey Mawson. Former kart driver Drugovich had a successful debut season in 2016, lifting the Best Rookie trophy on two occasions and finishing fourth in the rookie standings against tough competition. He received the offer after performing well in tests over the past few weeks.

"We are very happy to have Felipe on board this coming season," said team principal Frits van Amersfoort. "His good results, especially at the MRF Challenge, impressed us. I hope that we will be able to further improve his skills and performance."

"We've had Felipe on our radar for a long time," adds Jeroen de Jong, Formula 4 team manager at Van Amersfoort. "Our drivers from last year were also keen to draw our attention to him. Felipe comes from another part of the world, and the fact that he has done so well in this German series in 2016 proves that he has the passion and commitment to be successful. These are values that really matter to us."

The 16-year-old, who drove for Neuhauser Racing in 2016, is looking forward to his new team: "I am very happy with this development. Firstly, because I'm joining a team with a fantastic success story, and secondly, because Van Amersfoort Racing have proven over the years that they use every opportunity to make young drivers successful. I am particularly impressed by the way Amersfoort works, and I'm already looking forward to a fantastic second season as a Formula 4 VAR driver."

ADAC Formula 4 is about to enter its third season. The first race weekend will be hosted by Oschersleben on 28th - 30th April. The 2017 calendar features a total of 21 races on seven weekends staged on six different racetracks in Austria and Germany.