PREMA, Mumbai Falcons wrap up dominant F4 UAE, FRMEC seasons

PREMA celebrated a sensational double run in the Formula 4 UAE Championship and the Formula Regional Middle East Championship today at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The team provided its support to Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited, and the Indian operation dominated in both championships, taking the driver, rookie, and team titles. In addition, PREMA achieved considerable success in its own right.

In Formula Regional, 16-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli sealed the overall and rookie titles early, capping a masterful run that handed him three overall wins. Teammate Rafael Camara was also impressive. The Brazilian, FDA-supported driver ended up third in points right in front of Spanish teammate Lorenzo Fluxá.

Competing in only two events, F3-bound Dino Beganovic took two wins, while Kirill Smal, who moved up to Formula Regional, got on the podium in the season finale.

PREMA delivered positive results under its own name, with Brit Aiden Neate and Korean Michael Shin achieving podium finishes.

In the F4 UAE Championship, Mumbai Falcons also took home a triple crown. Australian James Wharton beat fellow FDA driver Tuukka Taponen to win the overall championship. However, the Finn claimed the rookie title with one round to go at Dubai. The third car was shared by Indians Rishon Rajeev and Muhammad Ibrahim, with the latter scoring a points finish at Abu Dhabi and contributing to the Team Title.

Running third in the championship, PREMA’s Ugo Ugochukwu was the winningest driver of the series with five victories. After leading most part of the championship, a troubled Dubai weekend saw the 18-year-old American slip back. Also running under PREMA’s colors, Nicola Lacorte secured two overall points finishes and eventually stepped onto the rookie podium at Abu Dhabi.

With so many positive results in the bag and a hefty amount of preparation done ahead of the coming months, PREMA will now switch its focus on the upcoming European season.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli
“I’m delighted for winning the championship”, said Antonelli. “It really means a lot to me and it really motivates me ahead of the coming European Championship- It was actually an up-and-down season, but I really learned a lot especially from the more experienced drivers. I can’t wait to get back on track. I want to thank my team for the great work and all those who support me!”

James Wharton
“Overall it was a good season for me, made a big step from last year and I am happy with the progress. The championship didn’t start how I wanted but to fight back for the win was amazing. I can’t thank the team enough for the support. Now it’s time to get back to Italy!”

Tuukka Taponen
“In the final race I knew that it was going to be difficult because we didn’t have a lot of practice time to learn the track. The starts were really good and I was pushing James under pressure in the first corner. It was really hard to overtake on this track and even harder, especially as we had safety cars almost all the time. I fought for the overall championship until the last race, where I had contact with my teammate, but anyway I can be really proud of having won the rookie title with the best weekend in my racing career so far at Dubai. Thanks again to FDA and PREMA for all the help that I got, and I’ll start my season in Italy much stronger.”

Source | Photo: PREMA Racing