The new ADAC Formula Junior Team lines up in French Formula 4 with three talented young drivers from Germany who are hungry for success. The ADAC’s youth programme is set for its premiere with Finn Wiebelhaus (Obertshausen) and Tom Kalender (Hamm/Sieg) from Hessen, alongside Max Reis (Ramstein) from Rhineland-Palatinate. The motorsport stars of tomorrow will contest 21 races over the course of the season’s seven race weekends, including at the Spa-Francorchamps Formula 1 circuit in Belgium.
For two drivers, the step up to Formula 4 represents a new challenge. 16-year-old Finn Wiebelhaus, the 2022 ADAC Kart Masters champion, will make his first appearance in the cockpit of an F4 car. In the 2022 season, he won the X30 Juniors class. Tom Kalender also continues his progress up the career ladder, stepping up from the karting scene. The 14-year-old ADAC Stiftung Sport driver was the second-placed junior in the German Kart Championship and is now set to gain his first experience in single-seater racing. The ADAC Formula Junior Team also includes fellow ADAC Stiftung Sport driver Max Reis. The 16-year-old lined up in the French Formula 4 series last year and claimed his first podium with a second place at the challenging street circuit in Pau (F).
The fact that the cars are provided centrally in Formula 4 France guarantees equal opportunity and maximum cost transparency. The drivers go head to head in a standard chassis from Mygale, which is powered by a 1.4-litre turbo engine from Renault. Furthermore, the car also features current Formula 1 technology in the Halo roll bar. The official tyre partner is premium Italian manufacturer Pirelli, who also supply the tyres for the teams at the pinnacle of motorsport.
The ADAC Formula Junior Team will line up in 21 races over the course of the seven race weekends that make up this year’s French Formula 4 calendar. As well as five events in France, both Italy and Belgium will also host one round each. The talented youngsters can look forward to the spectacular Circuit de Pau-Ville, which winds its way through the narrow streets of the city in southern France. The outing at Spa-Francorchamps will provide a Formula 1 atmosphere. Two former Formula 1 circuits also feature on this year’s calendar: Circuit Paul Ricard (F) and the track in Magny-Cours (F). The ADAC Formula Junior Team will complete numerous tests before the season-opener in Nogaro, France, at the start of April.