Photo: F4 UAE
Nikita Bedrin gave PHM Racing its second Formula 4 United Arab Emirates win in the reversed grid race at Dubai Autodrome in a podium filled by first-time visitors.
3Y Technology by R-ace GP’s Martinius Stenshorne and MP Motorsport’s Suleiman Zanfari shared the front row of the grid, ahead of Rik Koen (MP), Rafael Camara (Prema), Miron Pingasov (MP) and Bedrin.
Camara started fastest, challenging Stenshorne for the lead into the opening corner. Picking the outside line didn’t work for Camara though and he fell back behind Zanfari to third.
At the end of the back straight Zanfari braked very late to pass Stenshorne, but instead ran both of them wide and a four-car battle for the lead turned into a distant battle for second as Bedrin snuck past and pulled away.
Prema’s Camara and Charlie Wurz passed Zanfari before the end of lap one, with PHM’s Taylor Barnard also then getting through and charging into battle with those ahead. He made it into third, while Wurz was shuffled down to eighth before the safety car came out at the end of lap three due to incidents at the back of the field. In amongst the drama, MP’s title contender Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak had fallen to 25th place.
At the restart Barnard went straight by Stenshorne for second, but by the end of the lap he was back behind him and Camara, and on the lap after he retired in the pits.
Camara tried passing Stenshorne at turn one on this lap, then again by using the run-off down the back straight, but couldn’t get past and soon had Zanfari poking his nose in.
This allowed Bedrin to cruise away to win, while further back Wurz had dropped places again and Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema pair Aiden Neate and James Wharton were locked in battle.
After banging wheels several times the fight ate into Neate’s tyres and he dropped behind the recovering Wurz, while Wharton broke away but only after being passed for fifth by AKM Motorsport’s sportscar racer Loris Spinelli.
Race results (15 laps)
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikita Bedrin | PHM Racing | 26m29.053s |
| 2 | Martinius Stenshorne | 3Y by R-ace GP | +3.211s |
| 3 | Rafael Camara | Prema | +4.298s |
| 4 | Suleiman Zanfari | MP Motorsport | +7.990s |
| 5 | Loris Spinelli | AKM Motorsport | +8.444s |
| 6 | James Wharton | Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema | +9.284s |
| 7 | Charlie Wurz | Prema | +13.814s |
| 8 | Aiden Neate | Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema | +14.395s |
| 9 | Ollie Gray | Hitech GP | +17.982s |
| 10 | Rik Koen | MP Motorsport | +18.332s |
| 11 | Miron Pingasov | MP Motorsport | +19.432s |
| 12 | Jonas Ried | PHM Racing | +20.002s |
| 13 | Brando Badoer | AKM Motorsport | +20.432s |
| 14 | Michael Shin | JHR Developments | +21.432s |
| 15 | Jamie Day | Xcel Motorsport | +21.518s |
| 16 | Sohil Shah | PHM Racing | +21.910s |
| 17 | Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak | MP Motorsport | +21.923s |
| 18 | Ricardo Escotto | Cram-Hitech GP | +23.938s |
| 19 | Anshul Gandhi | Cram-Hitech GP | +25.233s |
| 20 | Ivan Domingues | Xcel Motorsport | +26.426s |
| 21 | Alex Dunne | Hitech GP | +27.328s |
| 22 | Vladislav Ryabov | GRS | +31.574s |
| 23 | Victoria Blokhina | 3Y by R-ace GP | +34.013s |
| 24 | Joseph Loake | JHR Developments | +39.547s |
| 25 | Nikhil Bohra | 3Y by R-ace GP | +40.576s |
| 26 | Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi | PHM Racing | +43.558s |
| Ret | Jules Castro | Pinnacle Motorsport | |
| Ret | Taylor Barnard | PHM Racing | |
| Ret | Ismail Akhmedkhodjaev | 3Y by R-ace GP | |
| Fastest lap: Wharton, 1m39.898s
Championship standings |
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