ADAC Formel 4·21.6.2015

Comments on Sunday: Rain and sun over Spa

Lando Norris (15, GBR, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport): "A win, a podium and a P4 finish: My first ADAC Formula 4 weekend could hardly have gone any better, especially as I've never competed at Spa-Francorchamps before. I got off to a great start because, fortunately, I was on the dry side of the track. I immediately moved up into third, and after a few more laps, I was leading the race. Then I got involved in a battle with Joey, but he made an error and fell back. It was looking odds on for the win until the safety car came out. Fortunately, I managed the restart well, and when the race was eventually abandoned, I was well in the lead."

Joey Mawson (19, AUS, Van Amersfoort Racing): "This was ultimately a great race for me, although it didn't get off to the best of starts. There was a collision ahead of me which I had to swerve to avoid. That cost me several positions. The main thing was to stay calm and use my straight-line speed to advantage. I wanted to win the race of course, but the safety car put paid to that. I at least managed some damage limitation with this second place in my pursuit of Eriksson. He is now very far ahead in the championship, but I have scored some important points and have now clearly established my claim to second place."

Robert Shwartzman (15, RUS, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport): "I've had podium finishes in all three races at Spa, so it's been a great weekend. However, my start in the final race wasn't perfect. I had some problems with my front wheels, and four or five cars immediately sailed past. After a few laps, I finally found a good rhythm and was getting faster all the time. I went past the opposition one by one. The safety car period finally got me within striking distance of third place and I made my passing manoeuvre on the start/finish line. Shortly afterwards, one of my wheels locked on Turn 1 and I started to lose ground. Fortunately, this didn't matter, as the race was then abandoned and I retained my podium position."

Ralf Aron (17, EST, Prema Powerteam): "I like the track, but it wasn´t our weekend. I was fast in free practice and qualifying, so I´m disappointed that we were unable to capitalise on that. In the third race, I strayed too far over the kerb and had to retire. If it hadn´t been for that, I feel sure we could have got a decent result."

Robin Brezina (16, GER, Robin Brezina): "It was my first outing on this track, so our expectations weren´t all that high. In Race 1, I was still familiarising myself with the layout. The second race was my first experience of rain, but in the final race, I was making progress. So all in all, I would summarise it in positive terms."

Jonathan Cecotto (15, VEN, Motopark): "My qualifying was unfortunately not so good. Just like at the Red Bull Ring, I had to make the best of a bad situation. I was basically playing catch-up in all the races. I have learnt one thing from this weekend, namely that I have to focus on qualifying so that I can start further forward and perhaps aim for a podium."

Joel Eriksson (17, SWE, Motopark): "My start was good, but then I fell back. When I eventually got everything on the car up to temperature and found my rhythm, I fought my way back. A lot of things happened after the safety car. I got overtaken just before the finish line and missed out on my third podium in as many races."

Michelle Halder (15, GER, Michelle Halder): "It was a great feeling being allowed to drive here. I managed to settle in quickly and had a pretty good qualifying. In the third race, I got off to a great start. Even though I then fell back, the bottom line is that this was a good weekend."

Arlind Hoti (16, GER, Jenzer Motorsport): "I staged a great charge up the field on Sunday. However, I still need to learn how to drive in a more controlled fashion. I think that, towards the end of the season, we´ll be achieving better results. We know that we are capable of getting into the Top Ten."

Giorgio Maggi (17, CHE, SMG Swiss Motorsport Group): "The start was difficult because my side of the grid was still wet. By contrast, the right-hand side was already dry. That´s the reason I fell back. On the first few laps, I got hit twice on my rear axle. After that, my race was over."

Harrison Newey (16, GBR, Van Amersfoort Racing): "In Race 3, I started from quite far back, but I was able to work my way forward. Unfortunately, a technical defect dropped me back down the field. I could have made it into the Top Ten. The car felt really good. Overall it was a frustrating weekend, because the results don´t reflect my real level of performance."

Kim Luis Schramm (17, GER, Neuhauser Racing): "I was able to match the pace of the front-runners right from the start. The race was fun, and there were plenty of fair scraps. The red flag came a bit too early for me. If the safety car had stayed out one lap longer and the race had been abandoned at that point, I would have been on the podium."