Brits shine in UAE F4 series as Antonelli dominates
Three British drivers stood on the podium at last weekend’s opening round of the UAE Formula 4 Championship. After Aiden Neate lost out on his first car racing victory by just 0.003 seconds, Taylor Barnard scored a reversed-grid win and Oliver Gray claimed a rostrum.
Neate qualified on the front row for the opening race, and took the lead when poleman and 2021 British F4 rival Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak stalled at the start. A lengthy safety car period left just three laps of racing at the end where Neate came under pressure from Mercedes F1 junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and the Italian pulled off a pass around the outside into the
Turns 6/7 chicane just before the finish line, which was on the alternative support race pit straight.
Antonelli’s tighter line allowed
Neate and Australian Ferrari protege James Wharton to draft him to the flag, the all-prema Racing trio covered by just 0.108s.
Gray led the second race in his Hitech GP car, before Antonelli – from fifth on the grid – took the lead on the third lap. Neate also got past his fellow Brit to finish second again. Antonelli appeared to have won the third race from Neate, but penalties for crossing the pit-exit line elevated MP Motorsport driver Inthraphuvasak to victory, after he’d moved up to third following Wharton’s retirement with a mechanical problem.
PHM Racing-run Nico Rosberg protege Barnard stormed from fifth on the reversed grid to lead the finale at the end of lap one. The superb Antonelli made his way from 12th to second and leads the points.