ADAC Formel 4·3.10.2015

Comments on Saturday: Two titles wrapped up

Marvin Dienst (18, DEU, HTP F4 Junior Team UNGAR): "It's just awesome! To become champion with two races still to go before the end of the season and in my home race too - it could not have gone better. I had problems with the radio on the last lap, so it was only on the main straight that I realised I'd won the title. A lot of the pressure on me fell away at that moment. Winning a race is not so difficult, but winning the championship means being up front the whole season, securing points consistently and not making any mistakes. It all went really well with HTP F4 Junior Team UNGAR. I started my career in motorsport 13 years ago with the team and now the circle is complete with this title. Of course, it's something very special to become the first ADAC Formula 4 champion. I took the first two wins, was the first leader in the championship standings and have now clinched the first title. I could not be happier!"

David Beckmann (15, DEU, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport): "I'm pleased with my maiden win in the ADAC Formula 4, but I thought it would be a bit different to how it turned out. There was a collision between me and my team-mate Lando on the final lap, unfortunately. My start to the race was excellent. I immediately moved up from fifth to second place and even took the lead after the first safety car period. Lando was always right behind me. We were just as fast as each other, but slipstreaming enabled him to keep closing on me. My win in the rookie classification means that I've also won the title. That means a lot to me, especially since I missed the start of the season."

Joey Mawson (19, AUS, Van Amersfoort Racing): "This third place is a really good result. I got off to a great start and put in a super first lap. At one point, I was actually battling for the lead. Unfortunately, the safety car deployments and the interruption to the race didn't allow us to do a lot of driving. In the chase for the championship runner-up spot, I've made good progress and managed to reduce the deficit on Joel to twelve points. In Sunday's race, I'll be starting from pole position while he will be back in 17th. Going into this race weekend, I had set myself the target of finishing the season in second place. I now have a real chance of pulling that off."

Joel Eriksson (17, SWE, Motopark): "In the first race, I got off to a very good start and immediately moved up into second. Then I really piled on the pressure because I knew I could keep my championship chances alive with a win. I took the lead, and then came the scrap with Marvin which unfortunately sealed my fate. I closed the door and he was behind me. For this manoeuvre, I was handed a drive-through penalty, though in my opinion it was perfectly fair. That was a shame, because I had no chance of scoring any points and staying in the title chase. Right at the start of the second race, I ran too wide. The dirt on my tyres then cost me a few positions. Because of the safety car deployments, it was almost impossible to catch up, and I finished the race in eighth place."

Michael Waldherr (19, DEU, Motopark): "The hairpin doesn´t seem to like me very much this weekend. In the first race, a car spun ahead of me, and I had to avoid it by going to the outside. Unfortunately, that cost me several positions, but I still managed to battle my way forward into eighth. Consequently, I´ll be starting the third race from P3. From there, a lot should be possible. In the second race, the hairpin was once again my undoing. I initially managed to avoid a collision, but on the next lap, I got spun round and my race was over."

Jason Kremer (20, DEU, Timo Scheider Team): "I had a good start in the first race and was immediately up to eighth. Unfortunately, I was then hit from behind and damaged my front wing in a secondary collision. After a change in the pits, I rolled up the field from behind and at least managed to finish 13th. By contrast, the second race went well. I quickly moved up to sixth and then drove tactically to defend my position. Against such strong competition, not much more was possible, but I can see a steady improvement in our cars."

Luca Engstler (15, DEU, Engstler Motorsport): "The start of the first race was not particularly good, since I ran wide of the track in all the confusion. But I worked my way back up the field step by step until I developed some problems with the rear axle of my car and I eventually went into a spin. So I finished the race in P23. In the second race, I had the advantage of new tyres, and that paid off. I was immediately up to eleventh and wanted to mount a serious attack when an opponent misbraked at the hairpin and ended my race. Although the results failed to materialise, these races have clearly shown me the progress we have made as a team."

David Kolkmann (18, DEU, Jenzer Motorsport): "The start of the first race went well, but I lost a few positions in an overtaking manoeuvre. After that, I was struggling with the car and no longer making any real progress. In the second race, I had already fought my way up to P19 when there was an incident in front of me which I had to avoid. That meant I lost all the positions I had gained."

Mike Ortmann (15, DEU, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport): "Unfortunately, I didn´t get off to the best of starts in the second race and lost a lot of places. I made some progress back up to twelfth but then got caught up in several incidents. With all the safety car deployments, there was no way to make up all the lost ground. So I was quite far back in the field and no longer had any chance of taking the rookie title."

Janneau Esmeijer (18, NLD, HTP F4 Junior Team UNGAR): "The first race was actually quite good, but my grid position at the start was tough. Again, I got away badly and was spun in Turn 4. I was last and had to work my way back up through the entire field again. I kept hearing on the radio that I was consistently posting the best lap times. It was a great charge which ended with a disappointing eleventh place, unfortunately. The second race began a bit better, but I noticed a loss of power. There was nothing doing by the start of the second lap, and I had to park up in order to avoid doing more damage."

Carrie Schreiner (17, DEU, HTP F4 Junior Team UNGAR): "I gained a few positions at the start of the first race, but then I unfortunately got hit by another car. I finally had to retire with a bent transverse control arm. The second race went very well, however. I moved up from 28th to 15th place and could have done even better had the race been longer."