South African racer Mika Abrahams turned 14 on 29 May 2022. Two weeks later and now old enough to race in Danish F4, he burst onto the single-seater scene to take a win and two podiums at Sturup Raceway. But Abrahams’ wait to turn 15 and start in British F4 felt much longer, as he explained to Feeder Series during his first race weekend at Thruxton.

By Gerren Scapens

“It was painful” is how Abrahams summarises the month-long wait before he could get behind the wheel of the Tatuus F4-T421 in race conditions.

The Fortec Motorsport driver had to watch teammates Aiden Neate and James Higgins score consistently while he waited for his 15th birthday, but he’s managed to pick up seven points of his own since his debut at Thruxton at the beginning of June. 

Two came with ninth place in the third race at Thruxton, and he then more than doubled that haul with two ninths and a 10th at Oulton Park. But the results from the past two rounds didn’t make spectating the first three from the sidelines any easier.

“In the first round at Donington it was manageable,” Abrahams tells Feeder Series at Thruxton. “Just watching everyone drive wasn’t really a bad thing, learning from them and assessing the situation essentially – learning about my opponents and how I’m going to race against them later on when I race.

“Then after that, it was just painful watching. I wanted to get out [on track] when watching them. Just gaining so many points on me, it was painful.”

Stepping up from Danish F4

The South African enjoyed an impressive 2022 season in Danish F4, claiming two wins and nine podiums from 16 races to end the year fourth.

He told Feeder Series last July that his Danish F4 campaign was preparation for ‘one of the main F4 championships’. He ultimately settled on British F4 with Fortec Motorsport, for which he was confirmed on 7 February.

Abrahams took part in two official pre-season tests along with private tests to bring him up to speed. The young South African had plenty of people to help him adjust and prepare for a full race weekend by the time Thruxton rolled around.

“It’s been hard, hard work,” Abrahams explains. “We’ve put so much time and effort into building up a good car for championship and having Aiden [Neate] and James [Higgins] developing the car in the races and obviously testing for me as well. They’ve helped with a lot of mental preparation and physical preparation.”

Higgins put Fortec in the limelight at both Brands Hatch and last weekend’s round at Oulton Park, snatching double pole positions at both venues and winning the third race of each weekend.

“It’s good having a teammate like that,” Abrahams says of Higgins as he walks past. “It tends to give us a good benchmark, and it shows that we have a really good car. We have good drivers around us.

“So if anything, I’m just really grateful to have James and Aiden as teammates – really experienced drivers, really great drivers. I always learn from them, and obviously they’ve helped a lot to get me where I am right now.”

From one hemisphere to another

Unlike many of his England-based peers on the grid, Abrahams resides in Johannesburg, South Africa, meaning there is a vast difference – namely about 80 degrees in latitude – between his paddock life and his home life.

“I’ve only really come up for testing and I would stay for a few weeks, but most of the time I’m back home and I’m just preparing myself mentally and physically,” Abrahams explains. 

“I’m travelling back and forth. I don’t think I can really settle down just yet. I still have to do school. All my friends [are] back home, so I still have a normal 15-year-old life back home. [I] just come to do this, lie down occasionally and stay for intervals.”

I still have a normal 15-year-old life back home. [I] just come to do this, lie down occasionally and stay for intervals

Mika Abrahams on travelling between South Africa and the United Kingdom

Abrahams, Higgins, Neate and the rest of the grid return to the track later this week for the sixth round of the championship at Silverstone, which will mark the first-ever F4 race weekend held on the full grand prix circuit.

Header photo credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography