Tatuus iMagazine

21 Nannini of Arabian Italian racer cruises to UAE title An Italian driver secured the 2019 Formula 4 UAE title, Matteo Nannini. The young driver from Forlì, making his single-seater debut, snatched the title together with Xcel Motorsport, a team previously known as Energy Dubai. Nannini posted seven race wins in five rounds held between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which enable him to keep his contenders at bay, starting from Paraguayan Joshua Durksen, fielded by Mucke Motorsport, and teammate Shihab Al Habsi. For all the competitors, the F4 UAE series turned out to be a perfect opportunity to make experience during the winter, thanks to the warmmiddle eastern weather and the great Tatuus-Abarth package, the same used in Italy, Germany and Spain. The event format, featuring four heats, enabled the drivers to put down great mileage. The top-3 finishers eventually graduated to the European Formula 4 scene, while other drivers proved impressive too. Lucas Alecco Roy made his return after entering the 2017-2018 edition and ended fourth with three wins to his name. Angolan Rui Andrade, Nico Gohler and Tijmen van der Helm also had the chance to celebrate on the podium. The Dutchman entered the series in the second round of the year at Yas Marina as he was waiting to turn 15, the minimum age, and was quickly able to keep the pace with the frontrunners.