The first free practice of the ADAC Formula 4 weekend at the Hockenheimring saw Taylor Barnard (PHM Racing) set the fastest lap time of 1:42.043 minutes. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (15/Prema Racing) was fastest in the second session. The Italian lapped the 4.574-kilometre track in 1:41.792 minutes.

17-year-old Barnard occupied the top spot in the ADAC’s high-speed school for the first time at the early stage of the season. Roughly half a second slower than the Brit was Martinius Stenshorne (Van Amersfoort Racing). The 16-year-old Norwegian is making his debut in the ADAC junior series this weekend. Antonelli was third fastest in FP1 (+0.519 seconds). Brando Badoer (15/ITA/Van Amersfoort Racing), the son of former F1 driver Luca Badoer, finished sixth (-0.922 seconds) in the morning on his ADAC Formula 4 debut.

In the afternoon, Mercedes Junior Antonelli clocked the fastest lap of the day so far, with a time of 1:41.792 minutes. His team-mate Rafael Camara (17/BRA) was second (+0.234 seconds). He was followed in third place by Barnard (+0.404 seconds). Emerson Fittipaldi jr. (15/BRA/Van Amersfoort Racing), son of two-time Formula 1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, ended both sessions in 14th place.

21 drivers from 15 different countries line up this weekend. If the open battle in the two practice sessions is anything to go by, then Qualifying 1 promises to be a thriller when it starts at 18:05. Live timing is available at adac.de/formel-4.