Tim Tramnitz on the attack after victory at the Hockenheimring. Oliver Bearman travels to the undulating circuit in Saxony as championship leader. Bearman, Tramnitz and Browning top the standings at the halfway point of the season. Spectators welcome at the Sachsenring.
Nine races are in the book, the second half of the 2021 ADAC Formula 4 season gets underway at the Sachsenring this weekend (1st to 3rd October). And the action comes thick and fast from here on in. A further nine races will be held in the five weeks between now and the championship finale at the Nürburgring at the start of November. All three races on Saturday and Sunday will be broadcast in an online livestream at motorsport.tv and adac.de/motorsport. Fans are welcome in the grandstands and the paddock at the circuit. Tickets are available on the gate.
Oliver Bearman (16, Great Britain, Van Amersfoort Racing) travels to the fourth race weekend of the year, at the track on the outskirts of Chemnitz, as the championship leader. However, with 225 points still up for grabs, the British driver’s 49-point lead is far from a guarantee of the title.
The last three races at the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg showed just how evenly-matched the field is, and that surprises are possible at any time – like the victory for young rookie Nikita Bedrin (15, Russia, Van Amersfoort Racing) in race two on the Sunday.
Despite this, Bearman, who claimed his fifth win of the season at the Hockenheimring, is playing it cool. The young Brit scored 55 points at the third race weekend, courtesy of a win, a second place and a fourth. Although the possibility of winning the title in November is a big draw, the 16-year-old from the established Dutch team Van Amersfoort Racing is determined to take it one race at a time.
“I am really looking forward to the Sachsenring. Judging by what I have seen in the simulator, it looks like a very tough circuit, at which there will be a lot of tyre wear,” said Bearman. “Qualifying will be very important, as the nature of the track makes overtaking difficult. However, I am very much looking forward to the challenge of the reverse grid in race three. My goals are to consistently pick up points and to perform strongly in qualifying.”
The last time the Sachsenring, which is driven anti-clockwise, featured on the calendar for the ADAC’s high-speed school was back in 2019. Back then, the winners were Dennis Hauger (Norway), Theo Pourchaire (France) und Michael Belov (Russia). Hauger has just secured the Formula 3 title on the final weekend of September. Pourchaire is currently enjoying success in Formula 2 and recently won the first sprint race in Monza in mid-September.
Tim Tramnitz (16, Hamburg, Team US Racing) seems to have a taste for success after the latest race weekend. He is hoping that his first win of the season and two fourth places at the Hockenheimring have set him up nicely for the second half of the season, and has set his sights high for the Sachsenring weekend.
The ADAC Stiftung Sport driver still feels he has room for improvement. “We definitely could have done better in race one in Hockenheim if I had started better. Race two was great, and I had a very good start to race three, but unfortunately then made a mistake and suffered a flat spot. Despite that, I am happy and pleased to have climbed into second place in the championship after the Hockenheimring,” said Tramnitz.
The man from Bergedorf is in a feisty frame of mind ahead of the three races at the undulating circuit in Saxony. “Definitely! There is still everything to play for! I am looking forward to the Sachsenring and believe that we will have good pace. I am obviously hoping to finish on the podium again.”
As it is for most of his fellow drivers, the Sachsenring is new territory for Tramnitz. Despite this, he has already prepared for the circuit and is looking forward to the new experience: “The Sachsenring has an interesting layout with many left-handers. I think it will be fun to drive there.”
The 16-year-old is banking on the excellent cooperation with Kerpen-based team US Racing, which is led by team principals Gerhard Ungar and Ralf Schumacher. “I feel right at home, we have a very informal atmosphere. The team works very professionally and has a wealth of experience.”
Tramnitz is preparing meticulously for the next five weeks leading up to the season finale at the Nürburgring. “Stamina and strength training is taking up a lot of time. Plus, I have a mental coach, with whom I am preparing,” says the 16-year-old. “There is obviously only a limited amount of time for private activities, but that is okay, as I know why I am doing this.”
Tramnitz’s team-mate Luke Browning (19, Great Britain, US Racing) is still in the race for the podium positions. The 19-year-old currently lies third in the championship. 13 points behind Tramnitz and trailing his compatriot Bearman by 62 points, all is not yet lost for the winner from the Red Bull Ring.
In the rookie competition, Nikita Bedrin – a first-time winner in Hockenheim – holds a big lead over privateer Michael Sauter (16, Switzerland, Sauter Engineering+Design), who was the top rookie in Zandvoort. Van Amersfoort Racing (299 points) tops the team standings, ahead of US Racing (244 points).
The two free practice sessions on Friday (08:00 and 11:50) will give the first indication of the balance of power. Next up at 17:05 is qualifying, in which the grid positions will be determined for race one on Saturday (11:45) and race two on Sunday (09:25). In the third and final race of the weekend (Sunday, 14:10), the top eight from race two start in reverse order.
Broadcasting times for ADAC Formula 4 at the Sachsenring
Saturday, 2nd October 11:45 Race 1 live motorsport.tv, adac.de/motorsport Sunday, 3rd October 09:25 Race 2 live motorsport.tv, adac.de/motorsport 14:10 Race 3 live motorsport.tv, adac.de/motorsport