Race Report

FIA FORMULA 4
ADAC GERMAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 16/17/18

Circuit: Nürburgring (D), Length 5.148 km, 14^th/15^th/16^th October 2022
www.nuerburgring.de

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2022:
Rasmus Joutsimies (FIN) and Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi (THA)

Joutsimies second in the Rookie Championship final standings ( to  )

The last of six race events featuring the 2022 FIA F4 ADAC German Championship was held on the GP circuit version of the Nürburgring (D). Wet and cold weather accompanied the racing throughout the whole weekend. With this, the 2022 FIA F4 ADAC German Championship came to on end.

Qualifying

Friday, 05/08/2022, 17.25 – 18.00, Weather: Rain, 13°C

According to the regulations, there are two 30-minute free practice sessions per race and two 15-minute qualifying sessions, which are held with a short 10-minute break in between. The fastest time per driver from the first session counts for the starting grid of the 1st race, the fastest time per driver from the second session counts for the starting grid for the 2^nd race. The 3^rd race will start in the same way as the 2^nd race ended, but with the eight drivers in reverse order. The three races each have a length of 30 minutes.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Race One (30 minutes)

Saturday, 15/10/2022, 09.55, Weather: Overcast, 13°C

The first race of the weekend started under a gray sky. The fog had lifted a bit, it wasn't raining at the moment, and the track even seemed to be drying out in places. Nevertheless, the whole field chose rain tires and it turned out that the track was still very slippery and rain tires were the right choice. Overtaking maneuvers in these conditions required some risk and were not easy to achieve. After a few laps, Rasmus managed to get past Nandhavud and then went in pursuit of Ried. When he tried to overtake him, there was contact in the braking area, with the result that both drivers spun off and the races of the two drivers ended prematurely. Nandhavud managed to steadily improve. When Bedrin and Kluss fought each other, he managed to gain two more places and finished in a very good 7^th place.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Race Two (30 minutes)

Saturday, 15/10/2022, 16.25, Weather: Rain, 13°C

As is so often the case at the Nürburgring, the weather changed very quickly. Just as the Formula 4 field was on the starting grid, a dark rain cloud swept over the track and so we had to change to rain tires quickly! After the first laps of the race the rain let up, but of course the rain tires were still right. Rasmus got off to a good start and soon found himself in 7^th place. A few laps later, Wharton fell behind and as Kluss and Sauter battled it out, Rasmus managed to make up more places. He was now in an excellent 4^th place. A safety car deployment until almost the end of the race meant that only a short sprint to the finish line remained. Rasmus brought the 4^th place home safely after a convincing drive. Nandhavud didn't get off very well at the start. After that he steadily improved. In the end he achieved a very good 8^th place after an exciting race. This meant he started from pole in race three.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Race Three (30 minutes)

Sunday, 16/10/2022, 11.35, Weather: Cloudy, 13°C

For the last race of the weekend – which was also the last race of the championship – the track was dry and the sun was also slowly coming out. Nandhavud started from pole but immediately came under pressure. Trying to avoid a collision with Ried, he lost momentum and fell back several places. Since the championship had already been decided, everyone drove as hard as they could today. Rasmus held his 5^th place for several rounds, but was then defeated by Camara. Rasmus crossed the finish line in 8^th place, Nandhavud was 10^th. Crossing the finish line it was clear that Rasmus had secured second place in the rookie championship becoming vice-champion in that category. So this season ended very well for the team and for him.

At the end also the 2023 champion of the FIA F4 ADAC Championship was confirmed: Andrea Kimi Antonelli from Italy. Rafael Camara from Brazil became rookie champion.

Rasmus Joutsimies (FIN)

Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi (THA)

Championship Final Standings

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German 2022 after 18 races:
1^st Andrea Kimi Antonelli (ITA), 313 points; 2^nd Taylor Barnard (GBR), 266 points; 3^rd Rafael Camara (BRA), 193 points; 4^th Nikita Bedrin (RUS), 175 points; 5^th James Wharton (AUS), 146 points; 6^th Conrad Laursen (DK), 129 points; 8^th Rasmus Joutsimies (FIN), 98 points; 14^th Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi (THA), 38 points; 18^th Samir Ben (CH), 8 points

Rookie-Standings:
1^st Rafael Camara (BRA), 289 points; 2^nd Rasmus Joutsimies (FIN), 269 points; 3^rd James Wharton (AUS), 242 points; 4^th Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi (THA), 166 points

2022 FIA F4 ADAC German Championship

More info:

• www.adac-motorsport.de/adac-formel-4