ADAC Formula 4 (German: ADAC Formel 4) was a racing series regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural season was the 2015 ADAC Formula 4. It replaced the ADAC Formel Masters, held from 2008 to 2014.

History

Gerhard Berger and the FIA Single Seater Commission launched the FIA Formula 4 in March 2013. The goal of Formula 4 was to make the ladder to Formula 1 more transparent. Besides sporting and technical regulations, costs were regulated too. A car to compete in this category could not exceed a price of €30,000. A single season in Formula 4 could not exceed €100,000 in costs. ADAC F4 was one of the second phase Formula 4 championships to be launched. The first phase championships were the Italian F4 Championship and Formula 4 Sudamericana which started in 2014. The ADAC championship was launched by the ADAC on 16 July 2014. Italian race car constructor Tatuus was contracted to design and build all the cars.

After the end of the 2022 season, which was understaffed by drivers, there was a long wait for the publication of a racing calendar for 2023. This, together with the rumors about the takeover of the DTM by the ADAC, which was also carried out on 2 December 2022, gave rise to speculation that the championship would not be continued. On 3 December, ADAC announced that ADAC Formula 4 would no longer be advertised for the 2023 season. The high costs compared to other national Formula 4 championships and the low number of drivers are given as reasons for the end of the championship. Only eleven drivers were registered for the last race at the Nürburgring in mid-October, while a week later a total of 41 drivers started at the last race of the Italian F4 race in Scarperia e San Piero.

Car

The championship features Tatuus designed and built cars. The cars are constructed out of carbon fibre and feature a monocoque chassis. The engine is a 1.4L turbo Abarth. This is the same engine as in the Italian F4 Championship.

Champions

Drivers

SeasonDriverTeamPolesWinsPodiumsFastest lapsPoints% points achievableClinchedMargin
2015Germany Marvin DienstGermany HTP Junior Team7814634757.833Race 22 of 2448
2016Australia Joey MawsonNetherlands Van Amersfoort Racing71016537463.660Race 22 of 2452
2017Estonia Jüri VipsItaly Prema Powerteam0270245.547.902Race 21 of 214.5
2018Germany Lirim ZendeliGermany US RacingCHRS81013834866.286Race 18 of 21114
2019France Théo PourchaireGermany US RacingCHRS6412225849.143Race 21 of 217
2020United Kingdom Jonny EdgarNetherlands Van Amersfoort Racing5612630057.142Race 21 of 212
2021United Kingdom Oliver BearmanNetherlands Van Amersfoort Racing5611429565.556Race 18 of 1826
2022Italy Andrea Kimi AntonelliItaly Prema Powerteam7912831383.466Race 17 of 1847

Teams

SeasonTeamPolesWinsPodiumsFastest lapsPointsClinchedMargin
2016Italy Prema Powerteam44173459.5Race 24 of 244.5
2017Italy Prema Powerteam25202597.5Race 18 of 21171
2018Germany US RacingCHRS8111911562Race 21 of 2141
2019Germany US RacingCHRS77277528Race 20 of 2141
2020Netherlands Van Amersfoort Racing9112711651Race 20 of 2141
2021Netherlands Van Amersfoort Racing58225295Race 21 of 2126
2022Italy Prema Powerteam9123413594Race 21 of 2163

Rookies

The result of the championship was decided by different standings. Wins and points of the rookie standings are present in brackets.

SeasonDriverTeamPolesWins (rookie)PodiumsFastest lapsPoints (rookie)ClinchedMargin
2015Germany David BeckmannGermany ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg01 (10)41166 (396)Race 22 of 2469
2016Denmark Nicklas NielsenAustria Neuhauser Racing00 (6)31106 (317)Race 24 of 2414
2017Austria Mick WishoferAustria Lechner Racing00 (11)001 (383.5)Race 19 of 2172.5
2018Germany David SchumacherGermany US RacingCHRS00 (8)00103 (332)Race 20 of 2131
2019Czech Republic Roman StaněkGermany US RacingCHRS02 (10)52165 (412)Race 18 of 2189
2020Germany Tim TramnitzGermany US Racing01 (8)60226 (386)Race 18 of 2193
2021Russia Nikita BedrinNetherlands Van Amersfoort Racing02(11)50147 (362)Race 21 of 2123
2022Brazil Rafael CâmaraItaly Prema Powerteam21(11)92193 (285)Race 18 of 1816

Drivers graduated to F1

  • Bold denotes a 2026 Formula One driver.
  • Gold background denotes ADAC Formula 4 champion.
DriverADAC Formula 4Formula One
SeasonsRacesWinsPodiumsSeasonsFirst teamRacesWinsPodiums
Italy Kimi Antonelli20221591220252026Mercedes2726
United Kingdom Oliver Bearman202020213971420242026Ferrari3000
Australia Jack Doohan201880020242025Alpine700
New Zealand Liam Lawson2018203920232026AlphaTauri3800
United Kingdom Lando Norris201581620192026McLaren1541144
Germany Mick Schumacher201520164661420212022Haas4300
China Guanyu Zhou201590220222024Alfa Romeo6800

Circuits

NumberCircuitsRoundsYears
1Germany Hockenheimring122015–2022
2Germany Nürburgring102015–2022
3Germany Motorsport Arena Oschersleben92015–2020
4Austria Red Bull Ring72015–2021
Germany Lausitzring72015–2018, 2020, 2022
6Germany Sachsenring52015–2017, 2019, 2021
7Netherlands Circuit Park Zandvoort42016, 2019, 2021–2022
8Belgium Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps22015, 2022

Notes

External links