Formula 4 UAE: Taponen and Wharton looking for a first win

After getting to the podium in the opening round in Dubai, the Ferrari Driver Academy duo are looking for a win in the second round on the brand new Kuwait circuit. 

The 43 competitors in the Formula 4 UAE championship are about to take to the track at the Kuwait Motor Town circuit, a brand new venue hosting its first single-seater racing weekend. The opening round in Dubai a fortnight ago saw Tuukka Taponen and James Wharton immediately in contention, coming away with a total of three podium finishes.

Good start. There were plenty of positives for Taponen at the first round. The 16 year old Finn dealt well with the pressure on his single-seater debut. He finished ninth in the first race and then was runner-up in the two remaining races which showed he was a match for his more experienced rivals. Tuukka is currently third in the standings on 38 points, 11 more than Wharton who is fifth. “Taponen’s debut was undoubtedly very positive and not just in terms of the results,” commented the head of the FDA, Marco Matassa. “He had to tackle all sorts of new situations, but he proved more than capable of making progress as was clear on track. This is very early days for Tuukka in single-seaters and I think he demonstrated qualities that he can work on this coming weekend in Kuwait. Having come third in Race 1 in Dubai, Wharton is also hoping to do well and he is capable of that with a good opportunity this weekend.”

Programme. The action at Kuwait Motor Town begins on Friday with two qualifying sessions at at 10.10 and 10.30 local (8.10 and 8.30 CET) followed by the first race at 14.30. Saturday will also be busy with Race 2 at 9.40 (7.40 CET) with the final race at 14.25 (12.25 CET).