Ádám Hideg, the karting world championship silver medalist, fought within or close to the top 10 throughout the entire weekend at the third round of the Spanish Formula 4 Championship at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. The talented driver, competing for Cram Motorsport, was fully satisfied with his team’s work, which contributed to his consistent race pace and a ninth-place finish in the second race on Sunday. This also earned him a fifth-place finish in the rookie standings.
The 16-year-old driver from the Hungarian Motorsport Academy is competing in a nearly 40-driver field in the Spanish championship, with over 25 rookies, including Ádám Hideg.
Kaposvár-born Hideg mentioned that it was clear during the practice sessions that the technical issues experienced in Portimão had been perfectly resolved by the team. Coupled with his previous track experience, his lap times were strong.
“I’ve tested here before, which made a big difference, but overall, we ended the whole Friday with four practice sessions on a very positive note because I felt good in the car and even achieved the third fastest time in one of the practice sessions,” said Ádám Hideg.
“In Saturday’s qualifying, my first fast lap qualified us in 16th place for the first race, and I finished 14th, determining my starting position for Sunday’s second race. Unfortunately, in Saturday’s race, one of my opponents dived in from quite a distance in a fast right-hand corner and hit my car’s right rear wheel, causing me to spin and lose many positions. My start was good, and I was already in P12 when this happened”, the driver recounted about Saturday’s events.
During Sunday’s qualifying session, Ádám Hideg’s car experienced significant vibration due to a balancing issue, but after the qualifying, the tire was rebalanced, and he completed the remaining two races with that tire.
“In the second race, our pace was very good, but after an accident at the start, I got a rear puncture while cornering at 200 km/h, which was a tense moment since many were behind me. During the red flag interruption, I went into the pits, the team changed the tire, and I managed to climb from 11th to 9th place. I was fighting throughout, but it was true for the whole weekend that we managed to battle around the top 10, which is very positive for our pace and bodes well for the next round. The team is doing an excellent job, there’s great harmony, and we’ve improved a lot compared to Portimão. The results of a weekend depend on small details, and I’m racing against a large field with very skilled competitors, but this is exactly what I need for my development,” stated the driver from the Hungarian Motorsport Academy, part of the Széchenyi University Group and operated by the HUMDA Hungarian Mobility Development Agency. His participation was also supported by the ZalaZONE Automotive Proving Ground/Hungary.
“Overall, it was a positive weekend. The next round will be on a track I’ve been to before, and our pace was good here too, so I’m looking forward to that weekend with confidence,” said Ádám Hideg, who stands 16th overall and 10th in the rookie standings.
The Spanish championship continues at the Motorland Aragón circuit in Alcañiz from July 26 to 28.
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