Maranello 16 May 2022
Brazilian Ferrari Driver Academy student Rafael Camara came away from his second participation in the ADAC Formula 4 championship with two second place finishes. James Wharton was out of luck, his best result being a sixth place.
Rafael Camara was a front-runner in this weekend’s ADAC Formula 4 races in Germany. The 17-year-old FDA student finished second in the first two races, rounded off with a fourth in the final race, run with a reversed grid. “It was a good weekend,” he said. “We scored a lot of points and were always near the front. The team did a great job, which will prove useful as we now shift our focus to the Italian championship.” Camara is now second in the ADAC series on 109 points.
James. James Wharton had a somewhat hectic weekend. The Australian came home sixth in Race-1, but a penalty for having jumped the start dropped him to 18th. In Race-2, he again finished sixth, but in the third one, he had to retire following a collision with another car while fighting for the podium places. “I can’t say this weekend went to plan,” commented James. “But nevertheless, it was good experience and preparation for the coming challenges.”
Race-1. In Race-1 on Saturday, Camara and Wharton started from second and sixth on the grid respectively. Rafael dropped a place after the start, which he then got back on lap 3 with a nice passing move on Taylor Barnard. He then pulled out enough of a gap to make sure of the runner-up spot. Wharton also had a straightforward race, running sixth from start to finish, showing good consistent pace. Unfortunately, a penalty for jumping the start dropped him to 18th.
Race-2. This time, Camara and Wharton were on the first and fourth rows of the grid respectively. Rafael moved up to third on the opening lap and by lap 2, he managed to take second place, which he then maintained all the way to the chequered flag. Wharton had a more exciting time of it, battling in the early stages with Martinius Stenshorne, with some close quarter fighting. Once he had secured sixth place, James was able to pull out a gap to cross the line in the same place that he eventually lost in Race-1.
Gara-3. As per the regulations, the grid order for the top eight in the final race was based on the reverse finishing order of Race-2. Wharton thus lined up third and Camara seventh. At the end of the opening lap, the two FDA runners were fourth and seventh respectively and right from the start this was a much more action-packed race than the two previous ones. While dicing with another competitor, Wharton damaged his front wing, with his race thus ending in the gravel trap in the Motodrom section. The Safety Car came out at this point, bunching up the pack, with Camara now up to fifth. When racing resumed, Rafael moved up to fourth, running at a good pace, but the chequered flag came out before he had any time to make it to the podium places.