The talented youngsters in ADAC Formula 4 have an exciting season-opener behind them. Oliver Bearman won Saturday’s opening two races at the Red Bull Ring, before Luke Browning took victory on the Sunday. It was a bittersweet race weekend in Spielberg for Hamburg’s Tim Tramnitz. Two young ladies took on the opposition in the high-speed school, which enjoyed perfect weather in the Styrian mountains. Here are the paddock stories from the Red Bull Ring.
Girl power: Two young ladies went up against the opposition in ADAC Formula 4 at the weekend. Hamda Al Qubaisi from the United Arab Emirates lined up here in 2020. This year, she was “supported” by Maya Weug from the Ferrari Driver Academy. Belgium’s Weug finished ninth to claim a top-ten result. A reunion would be very welcome.
Will the run continue?: ADAC Formula 4 is now in its seventh season – and on only one occasion has the winner of the opening race not gone on to win the title. That was the case in 2019, when current Formula 2 driver Theo Pourchaire was crowned champion, while the first race of the season was won by Brazilian Gianluca Petecof. In 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020 it was a different story: Marvin Dienst, Joey Mawson, Juri Vips and Jonny Edgar won the opening race and then lifted the champion’s trophy. Oliver Bearman, the winner of this year’s first race, will be aware of this statistic.
Highs and lows: Oliver Bearman won Saturday’s opening two races and consequently went into the Sunday race brimming with confidence. He then experienced what a fine line there is between the highs and lows in motorsport. The British driver from the Van Amersfoort Racing team failed to finish or pick up any points. However, he will get over that – especially as he left the Red Bull Ring leading the championship with 50 points. Victory in Sunday’s race went to Luke Browning, who presented Ralf Schumacher and Gerhard Unger’s US Racing team with its first success of the season.
Mixed feelings: US Racing driver Tim Tramnitz also endured a weekend of highs and lows in the Styria region of Austria. In race one, the 16-year-old, who is supported by ADAC Stiftung Sport, just missed out on a podium in fourth place. Tramnitz then secured pole position for race two, by an incredibly narrow margin of 0.036 seconds. Tramnitz had a disappointing start, but recovered well with a good race to finish runner-up. The reverse grid meant the young man from Hamburg started Sunday’s race from seventh. He produced a remarkable fightback until shortly before the end of the race, when he was hit from behind, costing him the rear wing and another podium. “Unfortunately, these things happen. I will now focus on the next race in Zandvoort and hope I have more luck and can impress again there,” said Tramnitz.
Three rookie wins: Nikita Bedrin is contesting his first season in ADAC Formula 4 – and has already shown that he is a force to be reckoned with this year. The Russian rookie from Van Amersfoort Racing was the best-placed rookie in all three races. Not a bad start!
Mountain views: The conditions were ideal in the Styrian mountains at the weekend. Up to 3000 fans per day were permitted at the sun-drenched Red Bull Ring – and ADAC Formula 4 was a guest at a circuit that also hosts Formula 1. A very successful start for the high-speed school.
From the mountains to the see: The students in the ADAC’s high-speed school now have a four-week break before the next round in Zandvoort, on the North Sea coast. From the mountains to the coast, from a high-speed circuit to a winding track in the Dutch dunes.