Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Prema Racing) is the man to catch. Three titles still up for grabs at the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit. ADAC Formula 4 lines up at ADAC Racing Weekend for the first time in 2022.
The wait is over: The ADAC Formula 4 title race will be decided this weekend (14th to 16th October) on the Grand Prix circuit at the Nürburgring. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (16/Prema Racing) leads the championship ahead of the final round of the season. The biggest threat to the Italian’s title ambitions is 18-year-old Taylor Barnard (GBR/PHM Racing), who can still get his hands on the champion’s trophy. The Rookie and Team titles are also up for grabs at the ADAC Racing Weekend. The event in the Eifel region of Germany also marks the end of the first season with the new 180-hp Formula 4 car from Tatuus. This year, the talented youngsters took to the track for the first time with a sustainable fuel, developed by Shell exclusively for the ADAC GT Masters and its support series, and made of roughly 50% sustainable components. All the races will be streamed live and free of charge at motorsport.tv and adac.de/motorsport.
Anticipation could hardly be greater ahead of the finale, with two drivers still harbouring title aspirations. Last time out, at the Lausitzring, Barnard fought his way back into the thick of the title race. Trailing Mercedes Junior Antonelli by 34 points, Barnard could still become the third British champion in a row – following in the footsteps of Oliver Bearman (2021) and Jonny Edgar (2020). The requirements are clear: he must finish ahead of the championship leader in every race and hope that results go his way. However, Antonelli’s seven victories so far this season have put him in a great position and he is definitely in pole position in the race for the championship. Behind this duo, third place in the overall standings is still up for grabs: Rafael Camara (17/Prema Racing) and Nikita Bedrin (16/ITA/PHM Racing) are tied on points (155 points) going into the finale.
In the Rookie competition, Brazil’s Camara lies second ahead of the final three races at the 5.148-kilometre Grand Prix layout of the former Formula 1 circuit. Rasmus Joutsimies (19/Jenzer Motorsport) from Finland leads the competition with 241 points and an advantage of 19 points over the youngster from the Ferrari Driver Academy. The most successful team of the 2022 season will also be determined in the Eifel. The Italian Prema Racing team has its nose in front with 481 points. PHM Racing has 443 points to its name and could still secure the first title in the history of the young team. Paul Müller formed the Berlin-based outfit in the winter of 2021 and the team’s drivers have already amassed five victories this season.
In Valentin Kluss (15) and Jonas Ried (17/Ehingen), two young German drivers also line up for PHM Racing. Kluss, who receives funding from ADAC Stiftung Sport, finished third at the Lausitzring to claim his first podium in ADAC Formula 4. The young man from Bad Mergentheim has also picked up two trophies as the best-placed rookie. Ried is on course to finish in the top ten in the championship.
Ugo Ugochukwu (15/USA) will make his second appearance in the ADAC’s high-speed school at the season finale. The junior from the McLaren Formula 1 team also started for Prema Racing at the fourth round of the season, which took place on the 3.629-kilometre sprint layout at the iconic circuit around the town of Nürburg in the Rhineland-Palatinate.
After two free practice sessions (08:05 and 11:55), the stars of tomorrow return to the track at 16:10 on Friday, when they will battle it out for the best grid positions for races 16 and 17 of the season. Saturday features a double-header at the Nürburgring: the first two races start at 09:55 and 16:25. The final race of the season then gets underway at 11:35 on Sunday, with the top eight drivers from race two starting in reverse order.
