Charlie Wurz won the 2021 F4UAE Trophy Round as Abu Dhabi Racing by PREMA went on to a full podium lockout in the non-championship event supporting the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Starting from the front row, the 15-year-old Austrian quickly got into the lead and dominated the race, while pole-sitter Andrea Kimi Antonelli lost valuable ground due to an early mistake. The quick Italian rebounded to secure P3, finishing the single, 12-lap heat behind Danish teammate Conrad Laursen, who put up an extremely solid drive. Making her final start in Formula 4, Hamda Al Qubaisi was less lucky. After being involved in a contact by another driver, she fought back to recover P6 on home soil.
For F4, the Yas Marina Trophy marked the start of a new era with the debut of the second-generation Tatuus T-021 racecar. F4UAE will be back with a five-round schedule beginning next January at Dubai Autodrome.
Charlie Wurz
"I’m very happy to have won the Trophy Round here in Abu Dhabi in front of the F1 paddock. I managed to overtake for the lead after a good launch from P2 on the grid. I kept my head down after the opening lap to open up a gap and the fastest lap with it. A massive thanks to the Prema crew for the hard work, ending the year on a high is great. I’m fully focused for next season and ready to give it my all."
Conrad Laursen
"Starting the weekend, we had a new car with a new way of driving it that we had to learn, and also a new track. That's what the two practices went into. I think it went quite well. I got a hang of the car, which was the main goal. Qualifying was not the greatest, but still OK. I made a few mistakes while still learning the new set-up, and it would have been better with a bit more experience. The race turned out to be quite a boring one. I had a good start and, after that, it was just a matter of trying to catch Charlie. However, as we were quite similar in pace, it was quite difficult. Anyway, it has been a positive weekend."
Hamda Al Qubaisi
"It was my last F4 race, so I’m grateful to have the opportunity to race here on home soil as a support race with F1, and in the Gen 2 F4 car. The race didn’t end the way I wished it would, but I enjoyed it very much, and a big thank you to the team and my family for everything this weekend"
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
"It has been a great experience. I had the chance to learn a new car, and I got great chemistry with it. The weekend went well until the race as I got my first pole. After that, I made a mistake on cold tyres which cost me several positions and compromised the outcome. I'm sorry for the team that made a superb job, I really thank them as well as all my supporters. I'll do my best to fight back in January."