Tatuus iMagazine

28 ADAC Formula 4 Antonelli pulls away The ADAC Formula 4 speaks Italian as it was dominated in the first half of the season by Prema Racing and Mercedes junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli T he ADAC Formula 4 Championship also saw the introduction of the second‐generation Tatuus T‐421 car in 2022, bringing in a significant safety upgrade. As in the Italian championship, Prema came out on top in the first half of the season, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli opening a nearly 100‐point lead over teammate Rafael Camara ahead of the summer break. The Brazilian was forced to miss the first event at Nürburgring due to Covid‐19 which elevated Taylor Barnard as Antonelli’s contender. The driver from Bologna, coming from seven wins in the first eight races of the season, missed out on victory on the shorter Nürburgring layout. However, he still trailed Barnard in the first two races as the British driver, who had already achieved three wins in the UAE Series, found his way to the top of the podium and moved within six points of Camara’s P2 in points. The Ferrari Driver Academy man has six podiums in the first three rounds, including a win in race 3 at Spa‐Francorchamps. Antonelli made the difference in qualifying, claiming seven of the eight pole positions up for grabs. In Q2 at the Nürburgring, Barnard edged him out by a 0.001s, and the two then fought in a splendid battle that lasted over half the race, and even Barnard's PHM Racing teammate Nikita Bedrin joined the fight for victory. The Russian scored three podiums in by Mattia Tremolada