Fourth place was enough for the British driver to win the championship. Top rookie Nikita Bedrin wins the final race of the season. Van Amersfoort Racing triumphs in the Team competition.

Celebrations for Van Amersfoort Racing and Oliver Bearman (16, Great Britain, Van Amersfoort Racing): The 16-year-old clinched the title courtesy of a fourth place in the third and final ADAC Formula 4 race at the Nürburgring. As well as his title win, the team also celebrated winning the Team competition. Furthermore, VAR driver Nikita Bedrin (15, Russia) ended the season as the top rookie. Van Amersfoort Racing managed to leapfrog ahead of US Racing in the final race and claim the title. ADAC Stiftung Sport driver Tim Tramnitz (16, Hamburg, US Racing) finished eleventh in race three and had to concede defeat to Bearman in what has been a close and exciting title race. Tramnitz ended the season in second place in the Driver’ Championship.

“It is a bittersweet feeling. I could have won the race, but obviously did not want to take any unnecessary risks. It is obviously a shame to miss out on the race win, but I am overjoyed to have won the title,” said Bearman, describing his emotions. “I must now move forward. I obviously hope to drive a Formula 1 car at some point in the future.”

While Oliver Bearman is celebrating winning the championship, his team-mate Nikita Bedrin (15, Russia, Van Amersfoort Racing) is delighted with his victory in the final race of the ADAC Formula 4 season. The rookie came home almost a second ahead of Victor Bernier (17, France, R-ace GP) in second place. Completing the podium was Luke Browning (19, Great Britain, US Racing) in third place.

Race winner Bedrin started the race from third place and took the lead from Victor Bernier on lap nine. The Frenchman was unable to find a way back past the young Russian and had to settle for second place. Luke Browning also produced an impressive fightback. The Brit started the race from seventh on the grid and continuously fought his way through the field and into third place on lap eleven.

“The race was very good. We started third and did not have the best start. Despite that, I still managed to hold onto third place. I soon climbed into second place and then had to go with Bernier, as he pulled clear. In the end, I had more pace and managed to overtake him,” said Bedrin. “The safety car made it exciting again, but I had very good pace. Thank you to the team for the perfect job this weekend.”

After his victory in race two, the reverse grid rule meant that Bearman started the final race from eighth on the grid. As that would have been sufficient to wrap up the title, the Brit unsurprisingly took few risks during the race. Despite this, he had already climbed into fourth place by the end of lap one. The Brit produced a flawless race and ultimately crossed the finish line in fourth place. For his rival Tim Tramnitz, it was clear from the outset that he would have to win the race if he wanted to have another say in the title race. As such, the driver from Hamburg, who started fourth, attempted to apply pressure and make it to the front of the field from the start. However, his fightback came to an abrupt end in turn one. In a collision with Switzerland’s Joshua Dufek (16, Van Amersfoort Racing), Tramnitz spun and lost the front wing. Dufek was given a drive-through penalty for his part in the incident. Despite two safety car phases, Tramnitz was unable to work his way back through the field.

Bearman had won the first race of the day, laying the foundation for his title win. Luke Browning of US Racing was runner-up, followed by Bearman’s team-mate Joshua Dufek. The best-placed rookie in race two of the weekend was Robert de Haan (15, Netherlands, Van Amersfoort Racing) in fifth place.

More quotes from ADAC Formula 4:

Tim Tramnitz (16, Hamburg, US Racing) … … on the race: “It is obviously a great shame. I no longer had a great chance, but the title was still there to be won. I was then hit from behind in the first corner and lost my wing. After that, I was no longer able to close the gap. I managed to make up two positions in the last few laps, but there was unfortunately nothing more that I could do.”

… on the season: “We still had a very good season, and we were second in Italy too. You obviously ask yourself whether you could have done things differently in a few situations, but it is what it is.”

… on next year: “The focus now shifts to next year. We will test various things, but I cannot yet say exactly where I will be lining up next year.”