German Formula 4

Race 1 : Tim Tramnitz claims lights-to-flag victory

Second win of the season for the driver from Hamburg. Oliver Bearman is runner-up, ahead of Luke Browning. Two races on Sunday promise to be very exciting.

Lights-to-flag victory for Tim Tramnitz: The 16-year-old won race ten of this season’s ADAC Formula 4 at the Sachsenring to close the gap on championship leader Oliver Bearman (16, Great Britain, Van Amersfoort Racing). The young man from Hamburg, who drives for the US Racing team, continued what has been a strong showing so far this weekend: after setting the fastest time in free practice, he also secured pole position, which he has now converted into win number two of the season.

“I am mega happy, this weekend has been great so far,” said Tramnitz, who is supported by ADAC Stiftung Sport: “My start was not ideal, so I had to go defensive. After that, it was particularly important to look after the tyres. I am now looking forward to tomorrow’s races.”

Second place went to Oliver Bearman, closely followed by Tramnitz’s team-mate Luke Browning (19, Great Britain). The best-placed rookie was Nikita Bedrin (15, Russia, Van Amersfoort Racing) in seventh.

Tramnitz had to defend his lead at the start, as Bearman made the quicker getaway over the first few metres. However, the driver from Hamburg did indeed stay out in front, although Tramnitz received a warning from race control for his manoeuvre against the Brit. After the first few laps, Tramnitz managed to open a small lead, while Bearman and Browning battled it out for second place.

Around the midway point of the race, rookie Marcus Amand (15, France, R-ace GP) skidded into a gravel bed, resulting in an appearance from the safety car. This saw the field bunch up again and set up an exciting conclusion. Tramnitz managed to hang onto the lead at the restart. Bearman was unable to threaten the US Racing driver, but did manage to fend off Browning, who attempted several overtaking manoeuvres but was unable to find a way past his compatriot.

Race 2 : Another win at the Sachsenring for Tramnitz

Hamburg’s Tim Tramnitz was victorious again in the second ADAC Formula 4 race of the weekend at the Sachsenring. The 16-year-old, who drives for Ralf Schumacher and Gerhard Ungar’s US Racing team, finished ahead of his team-mate Luke Browning (19, Great Britain) and Frenchman Victor Bernier (17, R-ace GP) on Sunday. Championship leader Oliver Bearman (16, Great Britain, Van Amersfoort Racing) was fourth.

“The weekend has been ideal so far. I am happy with my second win,” said Tramnitz, whose third victory of the season reduced the gap to Bearman to 29 points: “Fortunately, I was able to fight my way back to the front after the start. That was very important.” Browning lies third in the championship, 59 points behind Bearman.

Tramnitz initially lost the lead to Browning at the start, but the German was able to fend off the attacks coming from Bernier. While that trio pulled clear at the front, Bearman started to work his way through the field from eighth on the grid. Tramnitz eventually managed to overtake Browning. The Brit did not get the line quite right going into a corner, and had to ease off the power – that opened the door for the man from Hamburg, who took full advantage.

Meanwhile, Bearman was struggling to pass Tramnitz’s team-mate Vlad Lomko (16, Russia). He did, however, eventually find a way past and set off in pursuit of the leading group. In the end, the Brit finished just four seconds behind the winner. Like yesterday, the best rookie was Nikita Bedrin (15, Russia, Van Amersfoort Racing) in fifth place.

Race 3 : Vlad Lomko claims his first win of the season

US Racing wins the third race of the weekend. Oliver Bearman has a 35-point lead over Tim Tramnitz. Michael Sauter achieves his best result of the season.

US Racing was on the top step of the podium again: Russia’s Vlad Lomko (16, US Racing) won the third race of the ADAC Formula 4 weekend at the Sachsenring. The 16-year-old started from second place on the grid and crossed the finish line first after 23 laps of racing. After a fifth place in the opening race and seventh in race two, this was a nice way to end the race weekend for the Russian.

“I am super happy that I won. It was hard work. Finally that first victory, but it is never too late,” said Lomko. The second driver to take the chequered flag was championship leader Oliver Bearman (16, Great Britain, Van Amersfoort Racing). The young Brit fought back strongly from fifth on the grid, but was ultimately unable to make it past Lomko, despite a long scrap for the lead. “That was a good way to end the weekend for me, after it had been rather disappointing for me at times,” said Bearman. “The circuit is not easy and you can hardly afford to make any mistakes.”

Third place went to Nikita Bedrin (15, Russia, Van Amersfoort Racing), who was once again the best-placed rookie. Tim Tramnitz (16, Hamburg, US Racing), who had won the two previous races this weekend, came home fourth. In the championship, Bearman tops the table with 215 points after the spectacular weekend at the Sachsenring. He now holds a 35 point lead over Tramnitz, who was able to make up some ground and close the gap this weekend.

The start of the race was relatively calm, but it soon became clear that the two championship favourites, Bearman and Tramnitz, were hungry to make progress through the field. Sami Meguetounif (17, France, R-ace GP) was not able to hold onto first place for long and consistently lost ground on the leaders. Lomko overtook the Frenchman and was able to open a small lead. On lap eleven, Bearman climbed into second place and proceeded to put the Russian under real pressure. However, Lomko was able to withstand that pressure and defend his position.

Further down the field, rookie Michael Sauter (16, Switzerland, Sauter Engineering and Design) benefitted from a collision involving Luke Browning (19, Great Britain, US Racing) and Victor Bernier (17, France, R-ace GP) and climbed into fifth place. For Sauter, this was the result of an impressive recovery: after a crash on Friday, a lack of spare parts meant the small, family-run team was considering packing up the badly-damaged Formula 4 race car and heading home. However, then came unexpected help from the opposition: all the ADAC Formula 4 teams made mechanics and parts available, supported Sauter and worked together to repair the car. This allowed the young Swiss driver to take to the grid and, ultimately, claim his best result so far.

Tim Tramnitz had claimed his third win of the season on Sunday morning, finishing ahead of his team-mate Luke Browning and France’s Victor Bernier (17, R-ace GP). Oliver Bearman was fourth in this race, while Nikita Bedrin was the best rookie.
ADAC Formula 4 returns to the racetrack on the weekend of 22nd to 24th October at the Hockenheimring. “I am really looking forward to the races there. There are far more overtaking opportunities than at the Sachsenring,” said Bearman. “We want to maintain the lead there and take another step towards the title.”

The next round of the championship will be held at the Hockenheimring on the 22nd of October.

French Formula 4

Capietto and Vayron continue to be successful

Macéo Capietto and Elliott Vayron, who have been in the limelight over the last few meetings, continued their winning streak by sharing victories in the two Saturday races on the Paul Ricard circuit, in a French F4 Championship that is still very much in contention.

The FFSA Academy’s Formula 4 cars played an important role in the first day of competition at the meeting organised on the French F1 Grand Prix circuit. In Race 1, the two candidates for the title, Macéo Capietto and Esteban Masson, battled it out, suggesting that the end of the French Championship would be explosive. Especially considering the many spoilers in F4, such as Elliott Vayron, winner of Race 2.

Esteban Masson started from pole position for Race 1 and made a perfect start, while Macéo Capietto quickly took the lead over Alessandro Giusti for 2nd place. The duel between the two leaders of the Championship could start. Behind them, Daniel Ligier moved up two places from the start of the race. Following a contact which caused a steering problem, Elliott Vayron found himself in difficulty and dropped back, as did Cabanelas. Noah Andy had also started well, gaining three places in the first lap, but had just been passed by Enzo Géraci, before a collision between the two drivers eliminated them for good. Pierre-Alexandre Provost was added to the list of retirement.

At the front, Capietto set the fastest lap and put Masson under pressure. On the sixth lap the positions were reversed. “I didn’t manage the Qualifying session well, but I knew I could fight for the win in Race 1, even if I started from 3rd,” said Macéo. “I came back to Esteban quite quickly and I was able to take the lead at the halfway point…” following a great battle, the winner could have added! Masson was then surprised by Daniel Ligier, but managed to regain his position with a lot of skill. Behind the leading trio, the Australian Hugh Barter made good progress from 8th to 4th place in front of Alessandro Giusti. Gaël Julien and Owen Tangavelou also made good progress, respectively by three and four places, to cross the finish line in 6th and 7th positions.

High intensity in Race 2, with Vayron leading the way

Race 2 got off to a fiery start in the magnificent grid of 19 cars, which gave us one of the best races of the season. After his two successes in Monza, Elliott Vayron managed to isolate himself in the lead, while his rivals explained themselves behind him. “I was able to hold on to 2nd place at the start and soon found myself in the slipstream of Thanapongpan Sutumno, who was starting on pole with the reverse grid system for the top 10 in Race 1. I was faster than him and managed to take the lead on the second lap, before extending the gap,” said Elliott.

Behind, no one did anyone any favours and multiple overtaking moves enlivened the race on every lap. Owen Tangavelou was first worried by Esteban Masson at the beginning of the race, then he took action and passed Cabanelas and Sutumno to take the podium again, while Daniel Ligier came back brilliantly from the 9th place he occupied in the first lap.

A dramatic turn of events occurred at the end of the race, with Esteban Masson giving up his 5th place by entering the pits just before the finish. He let Macéo Capietto, holder of the fastest lap in the race, recover 5th place and score very important points in the Championship. Hugh Barter was 6th ahead of Gaël Julien and a determined Noah Andy. The driver from Reunion Island came back from 17th to 8th position! Alessandro Giusti and Enzo Geraci completed the top 10, the latter having gained nine places in a group where seven drivers finished in less than a second and a half. Sutumno fell in 12th position behind Pierre-Alexandre Provost.

Another victory for Masson, suspense on hold

This highly interesting meeting of the French F4 Championship at Paul Ricard celebrated a third winner in three races. Esteban Masson took his fifth victory of the season, beating Alessandro Giusti.

After having lost important points to Macéo Capietto in the general classification on Saturday, Esteban Masson reacted perfectly, winning Race 3 from pole position. Everything will be decided at Magny-Cours between the two drivers fighting for the 2021 crown.

At the start of the race, Esteban Masson took off perfectly and was the leader in the “S” of La Verrerie, immediately followed by Macéo Capietto who surprised Alessandro Giusti and Elliott Vayron. At the back of the field, a collision eliminated Gaël Julien. Another incident forced Vayron to return to the pits to repair his front wing, while Pierre-Alexandre Provost also crashed at the back of the field. At the front, Masson quickly made sure of a safety margin over Capietto, who was being chased by Giusti. Giusti regained 2nd place on the second lap, while Barter led a compact group composed of Noah Andy, Daniel Ligier and Enzo Géraci.

Esteban Masson put in a string of fastest laps and steadily increased his lead throughout the 11-lap race, before taking the chequered flag with a commanding victory. “The double pole position on Friday was an important part of the meeting and I am very happy to have been able to convert this lead into a victory,” said Esteban. “It was important to finish the weekend in this way, before the trip to Magny-Cours where I will aim for the title. After a Saturday marked by ups and downs, I was able to get myself back on track and I would like to thank the FFSA Academy and my entourage for all their support. I stuck to my plan and it paid off.“

Hugh Barter snatches the podium

Alessandro Giusti, who was very fast all weekend, was also satisfied with his performance which ended with a deserved 2nd place. In this classification, the young Frenchman took back some points from Dario Cabanelas before the final race in Magny-Cours. The end of the race was very lively in the battle for 3rd place between Macéo Capietto and Hugh Barter, a little bit faster in the closing laps. Despite fierce resistance, Capietto was unable to counter the Australian’s final assault, the two cars remaining neck and neck for several corners!

Daniel Ligier took the measure of the chasing pack before isolating himself in 4th position in front of Noah Andy, who did not spare any effort in resisting Owen Tangavelou and Enzo Géraci. The Paul Ricard meeting gave Louis Pelet the opportunity to showcase his skills in his very first single-seater race. Thanks to careful and consistent progress since Friday’s tests, Pelet managed to gain his place in the top 10. Romain Andriolo, who was competing in his second consecutive race after making his FFSA Academy debut at Monza, finished in Pelet’s wake before being demoted due to an jumped start penalty.

Paul Jerome and the American Luciano Morano, two other newcomers, as well as Enzo Richer, in his third participation in F4, learned a lot on this prestigious Paul Ricard circuit. Thanapongpang Sutumno from Thailand came in between these two in 12th place, while Angélina Favario was 14th.

The final round of the 2021 French F4 Championship will take place on 22nd, 23rd and 24th October at Magny-Cours.

Spanish Formula 4

Dilano Van't Hoff takes a first win at Jerez

The Dutch driver took his seventh win of the season and won the rookie category title.

Dilano Van’t Hoff has been proclaimed, after his victory today, champion of the rookie category of the Spanish Formula 4. The MP Motorsport driver secured his first position in the rookie championship after taking pole position and leading all the laps of the race.

After him, it was Vladislav Ryabov who took the chequered flag in second position. The GRS driver, who has his second podium this season, was unable to catch the championship leader despite being in the slipstream for a large part of the race. Both drivers, who quickly distanced themselves from the chasing group, rode wheel to wheel until the final moments of the race.

It was only with less than five minutes to go that the Russian driver’s tyres gave out. Ryabov was unable to keep up with the pace set by Van’t Hoff, and ended up distancing himself by as much as two seconds.

Third place went to Quique Bordas. The Spanish Formula of Champions driver, who started in fourth position, fought with Rik Koen for the last step of the podium during the whole race. Although Bordas tried to overtake his rival on several occasions, the Dutch MP Motorsport driver managed to cross the finish line in third position. However, a two-second penalty for committing track limits dropped Koen to sixth place and Quique Bordas took the third step of the podium.

Following in Quique’s wake, Sebastian Ogaard and Pepe Martí also benefited from the penalty imposed on Koen, which allowed them to climb to fourth and fifth position respectively.

Championship and triple-win for Dilano Van't Hoff

The MP Motorsport driver is proclaimed champion of the Spanish Formula 4 Championship after winning all three races held in Jerez.

Dilano Van’t Hoff has managed, for the first time this season, to win all the races of an event. After his victory yesterday, the Dutch driver added two more wins in the second and third races of the weekend to clinch the driver’s title.

In the second race, again from pole position, Dilano defended his pole position at the start to impose his race pace. Behind him, Vladislav Ryabov, who had reserved his new set of tyres for the second race, put pressure on the championship leader until the safety car came out.

An incident between Filip Jenic and Maksim Arkhangelskii forced the safety car to make an appearance which compacted the field and restarted the race with two minutes to go. However, a new incident would neutralise the race again.

Guilherme Oliveira and Manuel Espirito Santo collided after the safety car had left the track and, as a result, the race ended with 49 seconds remaining under the red flag.

This situation meant that the top three positions remained unchanged in the final moments of the race. Thus, Ryabov and Pepe Martí joined Dilano Van’t Hoff on the podium in second and third position respectively.

In the third race held at the Circuito de Jerez, rain marked the outcome of the race. Due to the humidity that still lingered on the asphalt after the drizzle in the run-up to the race, the riders used wet tyres for the first time this season.

Dilano Van’t Hoff, who again started from pole position, managed to maintain his lead until a mistake caused him to lose control of his car. Quique Bordas then took control of the race, just before the safety car came out.

Miron Pingasov went off the track, leaving the MP Motorsport driver in the gravel, forcing the stewards to use a crane to remove the Russian driver’s car.

Once the safety car retired to the pit lane, Quique Bordas led the restart until, once again, Dilano managed to overtake the Catalan driver. Taking advantage of a different trajectory to that of the Formula Champions driver, Van’t Hoff regained the lead to take his third win of the weekend.

After Quique Bordas and Dilano Van’t Hoff, Pepe Martí crossed the finish line in third position for his second podium this season.

The last round of the championship will be held in Barcelona on November 13th.