On the Croft Circuit victories for Neate, Dunne and season’s first for Oliver Gray in British F4
Two wins and a second place. That was Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s (ITA – Prema Racing) haul at the Zandvoort circuit on a weekend marked by Prema Racing’s dominance in the ADAC Formel 4, the German series that sees 19 Tatuus F4 T- 421 powered by the 180 hp Abarth T-Jet 1.4 engine. The Italian team put three drivers on the podium in all three races of the third round and moved to the top of the team standings, while the Italian driver extended his lead in the overall standings where he now has a 50-point advantage over his team-mate Rafael Camara (BRA – Prema Racing), twice second at Zandvoort. In race 3 comes the first win of the season for Conrad Laursen (DNK – Prema Racing), third also in race 1, while Charlie Wurz (AUT – Prema Racing) takes two third places in race 2 and race 3. Camara remains second in the overall standings ahead of Laursen, Taylor Barnard (GBR – PHM Racing) and Charlie Wurz. Not an easy weekend on the home circuit for Van Amersfoort Racing, which obtained three eighth places with Martinius Stenshorne (NOR – Van Amersfoort Racing) and Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. (BRA – Van Amersfoort Racing).
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, after a great battle with Laursen in race 3, said: “It has been a good weekend with a great pace all the time. I tried to learn the track and improve since practice, and with difficult conditions in qualifying, I managed to score two poles. In race 1 I made a good start, opened up a gap, and went on to win the race. In race 2, it was the same with a good start, but the safety car eliminated the gap I had built. However, the re-start was good, managed to build a good advantage to win that one as well. Starting from P8 in race 3, I had a tough getaway, but I fought back to P2. It was an intense but fun race. Now I’m fully motivated for the next.”
If in the German series Antonelli keeps the leadership and stretches it, the same goes for the British F4, where Alex Dunne (IRL – Hitech GP) continues to be the leader thanks, also, to the victory in race 2 on the Croft Circuit. In race 1 the victory went to Aiden Neate (GBR – Phinsys by Argenti), followed by rookie leader Ugo Ugochukwu (USA – Carlin) and Oliver Gray (GBR – Carlin), at ease on the 3,423 metres of the Croft Circuit. In race 2 another third place for Gray behind leader Alex Dunne and Joseph Loake (GBR – JHR Developments). In the final race of the fifth round of the British series came the first win for Oliver Gray, who became the eighth winner of the series ahead of Louis Sharp (NZL – Carlin) and Dunne, who was increasingly focused on bringing home points.
Alex Dunne, F4 British championship leader said: “It was definitely a weird and a tough weekend, to be honest I got pretty lucky with the situation in race three, but I made the best of what I had and a podium was all I could get today”
Next appointment with the two series on 29 July at Knockhill for the British F4 and on 7 August at the Nürburgring for the ADAC Formel 4.
ADAC Formel 4 overall standings: 1. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (ITA – Prema Racing) 205; 2. Rafael Camara (BRA – Prema Racing) 155; 3. Conrad Laursen (DNK – Prema Racing) 93; 4. Taylor Barnard (PHM Racing) 86; 5. Charlie Wurz (AUT – Prema Racing) 83.
F4 British Championship overall standings: 1. Alex Dunne (IRL – Hitech GP) 240; 2. Oliver Gray (GBR – Carlin) 189; 3. Ugo Ugochukwu (USA – Carlin) 150; 4. Aiden Neate (GBR – Phinsys by Argenti) 137; 5. Louis Sharp (NZL – Carlin) 130.
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