Van Amersfoort Racing was successful during the first ADAC Formula 4 race weekend under the banner of Formula 1. At the Hockenheimring we captured both pole positions, scored a 1-2 victory in the first race, and set a new best team performance since all our five F4 racing drivers finished within the top 10.
It was a very special atmosphere indeed. It was the ADAC Formula 4’s first time acting as a support series to Formula 1 and that inspired both the team and drivers. Dutch Joey Alders and Liam Lawson from New-Zealand had the privilege to be invited for a lunch with four-time world champion and ADAC Formula 4 patron Sebastian Vettel along with five other F4 youngsters.
Watched by the influencers in Formula 1 it was Frederik Vesti who set the pace in free practice. The Dane continued his strong form in Q1. In a rainy session on the Hockenheimring in GP layout,he grabbed pole position for the opening race. Charles Weerts proved to have good pace by claiming 3rdposition on the starting grid for race 1. Despite his good pace he was however given a grid penalty because of a mistake made during a red-flag situation.
In the second qualifying session, now on a dry track, it was VAR driver Liam Lawson who claimed pole position for the second race.
On Saturday afternoon Frederik Vesti was presented his winning trophy by Mercedes-AMG Head of Motorsport Toto Wolff. A very special occasion after a very strong performance by Frederik in the race over 17 laps. The Dane lead from start to finish, also a safety car intervention early on in the race did not make an inroad on his strong lead.
Frederik was accompanied on the podium by Liam, who finished second after making a clean move at the start from third on the grid to pass Leon Köhler. It was ADAC Sports President Hermann Tomczyk who presented the trophy to our runner up in the championship. On top of that 1-2 victory there was more success: Charles Weerts, Joey Alders and Lucas Alecco Roy finished in 8th, 9thand 10thplace. A new mile stone since this is the first occasion our five F4 drivers are in the top 10.
Joey Alders proved to be the fastest Van Amersfoort Racing driver in the second race. The F4 rookie made a giant leap forward: from 13thon the grid to 6that the finish line. An impressive performance. Charles Weerts collected championship points again with his 8thplace. Pole sitter Liam Lawson and Frederik Vesti were plagued by bad luck. Both had to pit with tire damage caused by other competitors. After their strong performances this weekend both should have deserved more. Lucas Alecco Roy was also handed his portion of bad luck when a competitor left him no room to breathe, with an unavoidable collision as a result. Due to the damage caused by this collision, he had to retire in the last lap of the race.
Jeroen the Jong, team manager of VAR’s F4 team: “At first I want to compliment the ADAC and Formula 1 organization making it possible for the ADAC F4 championship to race as a support series to Formula 1. It emphasizes the importance of the F4 as a feeder series towards the F1. This event also helped making ADAC F4 visible to an even bigger audience. What we also experienced: being under the Formula 1 banner is also highly inspiring for the drivers. As for our own performances: two pole positions, a one-two victory and all our five drivers within the best 10 is very special. Of course, there is more to wish for, but from a team perspective it is very rewarding to see that all of our drivers have the car to perform on top of their skills.”
The complete results can be found here.
Driver standings after round 4:
1. Lirim Zendeli (US Racing) 214; 2. Liam Lawson (Van Amersfoort Racing) 193; 3. Enzo Fittipaldi (Prema Racing) 150; 4. Frederik Vesti (Van Amersfoort Racing) 146; 6. Charles Weerts (Van Amersfoort Racing) 104; 12. Joey Alders (Van Amersfoort Racing) 25; 16. Lucas Alecco Roy (Van Amersfoort Racing) 8.
Rookie cup standings:
1. Niklas Krütten 197; 2. David Schumacher 184; 3. Joey Alders (Van Amersfoort Racing) 123.
Team standings:
1. US Racing 347; 2. Van Amersfoort Racing 317; 3. Prema 253.
