Nikita Bedrin was secured the title of champion rookie in his first season in ADAC Formula 4, crowning an impressive season from the newcomer. The Van Amersfoort driver was by far the most consistent rookie in the class in 2021 and won the competition by more than 100 points.

“It feels really good to be the champion rookie,” says Bedrin, looking back at his debut season in ADAC Formula 4: “It was a very tough season, but I improved whenever I was out on the track. Victory in the final race of the year was the icing on the cake and confirmed my performance again.”

As early as the season-opener at the Red Bull Ring, the young Russian showed quite clearly that he was going to be the man to beat in the rookie competition. Bedrin picked up a maximum 125 points from the first five races in the class for young drivers. He then refused to surrender his lead for the rest of the season – a dominant “lights-to-flag” victory, you could say.

As well as being crowned champion rookie, the 15-year-old also finished an impressive fifth in the overall standings and made five appearances on the podium in his first ADAC Formula 4 season. Two of those podiums were race wins, at the Hockenheimring and the Nürburgring.

As is so often the case, Bedrin inherited his motorsport genes from his family. “I got into motor racing through my father. We borrowed a kart for fun once. I enjoyed it so much, that I started to drive regularly,” the Van Amersfoort driver recalls. “I was five years old at the time. My father has always supported me. He wanted me to go racing, because he could see how much fun I was having.”

Bedrin has enjoyed a lightning fast start to his motor racing career. No matter which wheel he has been behind, he has enjoyed success everywhere. In 2019, he was the top Junior in the Italian Karting Championship. The following year, in 2020, he won the WSK Super Masters series. However, the highlight of his career is certainly his title in ADAC Formula 4.

Despite the many successes in his still fledgling career, Bedrin is looking ahead with humility: “It is hard to say what the future will bring. However, I can say with certainty that good results will lead to a good future,” the 15-year-old stresses. “It all depends on how well I do my job.”