In 2017, Weerts was runner-up in the Rookie championship with Team Motopark. He hopes the move will boost his title challenge.

Charles Weerts (16, Belgium) is about to embark on a second season in the ADAC Formula 4 series, but this time with a new team. The teenager from Aubel in Belgium will be driving for Van Amersfoort Racing in 2018. Weerts spent his rookie season of 2017 with the German team, Motopark. And it was a successful campaign, during which he lifted the Best Rookie trophy three times in 21 races – at Oschersleben, at the Lausitzring and in the season finale at the Hockenheimring. In the class for newcomers, he finished the season as runner-up behind Rookie champion Mick Wishofer (18, Austria).

Weerts already has plenty of racing experience in a single-seater, a fact that was not lost on the management of the illustrious Dutch team. “His strong performance last year quickly brought him to our attention,” says Jeroen de Jong, principal of the VAR Formula 4 setup. “Charles is highly success-oriented. His second place in the ADAC Rookie championship and his current form are clear evidence of his quality and an indication of the direction he is heading in.”

During the European winter break, Weerts is competing in Formula 4 races in the United Arab Emirates where he leads the standings with two more rounds to go, having won three races and made nine podium appearances. He has high expectations of his new partnership with the Dutch team: “The record of results at VAR say it all. My current lead in the UAE F4 Championship fills me with optimism that I will once again be able to prove my worth in ADAC Formula 4. I aim to be one of the front-runners. I just can’t wait for the season to start.”