Ralf Aron (17, EST, Prema Powerteam) won the exciting third ADAC Formula 4 race at the Nürburgring. Racing in wet conditions, the Prema Powerteam youngster secured his maiden win in the ADAC High-Speed Academy. Lando Norris (15, GBR, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport) finished second on the podium and was also best-placed rookie. Marvin Dienst (18, GER, HTP Juniorteam), who won the first two races, rounded off his strong showing this weekend with third place.
“Driving in these conditions was tricky, but visibility was good at all times, and the battles were immense fun,” said Aron. The race began behind the safety car because of the rain and the tricky conditions. The Estonian youngster did not get the best of starts and dropped back down the field from fourth to sixth position. Aron’s big chance came after the re-start on the seventh lap following a safety car deployment, triggered when Marylin Niederhauser (20, CHE, Race Performance) skidded off track.
Comfortable win for Aron
Aron quickly moved up two places and then won through in a battle for third place with Mick Schumacher (16, GER, Van Amersfoort Racing). On the tenth lap, Aron came out on top in a thrilling scrap with title contender Joel Eriksson (17, SWE, Motopark) and took over the lead one lap later from pole-setter Tim Zimmermann (18, GER, Neuhauser Racing). He crossed the finish line with a lead of 2.934 seconds on Norris in second place.
The newcomer to formula racing, driving for kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport, secured his second podium finish during this fifth race weekend of the 2015 season. Norris has achieved four podiums in his six races in the ADAC Formula 4 so far. The 15-year-old went on a charge up the field from eighth on the grid on Sunday. DTM driver Maximilian Götz presented him with the trophy on the podium for best-placed rookie.
Podium hat-trick for Dienst
Championship leader Dienst worked his way up the field to third position from P10 on the grid. He made his decisive move with four laps to go when he won a thrilling three-way battle with Zimmermann and Eriksson, taking third place as a result. HTP Juniorteam team-mate Janneau Esmeijer (18, NED, HTP Juniorteam) and Robert Shwartzman (15, RUS, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport) placed fourth and fifth respectively.
Title contender Eriksson had to be content with sixth place. The Motopark driver had a tricky weekend in the Eifel, losing the overall lead to Dienst. The 18-year-old was the big winner at the Nürburgring. Before the weekend, Dienst was third in the championship standings with a deficit of 34 points on Eriksson in the lead. But after the 15th race of the year, he now leads with 194 points. His closest rival, Eriksson, is on 184.
Placed third overall in the standings, Joey Mawson (19, AUS, Van Amersfoort Racing) on 173 points also still has a good chance of winning the inaugural ADAC Formula 4 championship. The Van Amersfoort Racing driver finished the final race on the legendary track in seventh place. Rookie David Beckmann (15, GER, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport), Zimmermann and Schumacher completed the Top Ten. The sixth race weekend of the ADAC Formula 4 will take place at the Sachsenring from 28th to 30th August 2015.
Comments from the podium
Ralf Aron (17, EST, Prema Powerteam), Winner: “I’m very pleased with my maiden win in the ADAC Formula 4. I want to thank my team for their hard work – this success was also very important to them. The car was still not quite perfect, but the rain suited us. I struggled a bit in the beginning, but eventually I was able to come out on top in the scraps and take the lead. From then on, I tried to consistently increase my lead and secure victory at the finish line. Driving in these conditions was difficult, but visibility was good at all times, and I enjoyed the scraps immensely.”
Lando Norris (15, GBR, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport), Second: “My second race weekend in the ADAC Formula 4 and fourth podium finish – I’m very happy. Even more might have been possible. I made a small mistake and so lost a bit of ground. I constantly fought my way up the field and the scraps with other drivers were immense fun. At times, there were six cars battling for the lead, and it was difficult to keep track of what was happening. I tried to overtake Ralf in the lead towards the end, but unfortunately, it was no longer possible.”
Marvin Dienst (18, GER, HTP Juniorteam), Third: “I knew it would be a tough race, for sure, starting from tenth place on the grid! I’ve now just narrowly missed securing a hat-trick of wins, but there’s time left over the next couple of race weekends. It was nip and tuck all the way in the scraps, but I was able to win through in the end and secure third place. Now I’ve extended my championship lead by a few more points. Obviously, that’s my goal for the rest of the season.”
Press release ADAC Formel 4
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