ADAC Formel 4·25.4.2015

Comments on the first race: The start was hectic

Marvin Dienst (18, GER, HTP Junior Team), Winner: "I've gone into the records as the first winner in the history of ADAC Formula 4 - it's incredible. I haven't yet taken in the full significance of this win. That will only happen at some point in the future, or perhaps not until after several years have passed when someone asks me about it. The race itself wasn't easy. The car in front of me didn't move at the start, and I had to react quickly. On the first corner, it was really tight, but luckily I emerged in the lead. Due to the multiple deployment of the safety car, my lead was repeatedly cut back to nothing. At one stage, I almost ran out of ideas as to where I should best lead off the restart. Ultimately, though, I managed to do it right each time, and that was the decisive factor in my victory."

Aron Ralf (17, EST, Prema Powerteam), Second: "I'm ecstatic. I came to Oschersleben with no prior knowledge of this track and had to learn it during the free practice sessions. My team have done a great job and provided me with a fantastic car. The safety car periods were a bit frustrating. As soon as I caught up on the race leader, I had to back off again. I really wanted to win this race, and my chances were good at the beginning. On the last lap, however, there was a small problem with the car. I lost several car lengths and had to drop back. I can be absolutely satisfied with second place, though."

Mattia Drudi (16, ITA, SMG Swiss Motorsport Group), Third: "I'm very happy about finishing on the podium - I wasn't expecting it after starting sixth. My car was fantastic and I would like to thank my team for that. At the start, I immediately won a position, and from then on, I was exerting pressure for the entire race. Also, the safety car periods played into my hands. At the end of the race, Joel Eriksson was close behind me. It wasn't easy to defend third place against him, so I'm all the happier now that I'm standing on the podium."

Tim Zimmermann (18, Langenargen, Neuhauser Racing), eighth: "I got off to a good start from eighth on the grid and was able to make good a couple of places. Looking at it from one perspective, P8 is a disappointing final result because it could have been better. But I did my best in the race. I don't think there was scope for more today. As for the race on Sunday, I'm feeling upbeat. In the race itself, we were competitive, and apart from minor problems in qualifying, everything went according to plan. In Race 3, this means I'll be starting from third place. I hope that I can manage a podium or a win."

Mick Schumacher (16, GER, Van Amersfoort Racing), ninth: "Of course, I'm pleased that I caught up - it didn't occur to me at first that I was best rookie! After yesterday's qualifying and my grid position, I'm really satisfied."

Giorgio Maggi (17, CHE, SMG Swiss Motorsport Group), eleventh: "The start was hectic, but I was able to stay in touch during the early laps. In the chicane, I unfortunately made a small mistake which allowed several cars to get past. One thing is clear, however: the car is competitive, as the podium for my team-mate proves. I still have to work on my restarts after the safety car; this aspect could be even better."

Marcel Lenerz (17, Ludwigsau, Lechner Racing), P16: "The start went better than I thought it would, and I got off the mark well. The three safety car periods were good, because they bunched the field. But it also meant that you lost out on those laps where you might have attacked or even overtaken. However, I don't think that I personally could have done any better. Making up ten positions in a race would be quite an achievement, especially here at Oschersleben, where overtaking is so difficult. Rain on Sunday wouldn't be a bad thing, but even without, it should be possible to do something from 16th on the grid."

Jan Jonck (16, DNK, RS Competition), P19: "I didn't get away very well at the start, but then I overtook a few cars on the outside. We were really fast before the safety car deployments, but during the last of these, I developed some understeer, and it gradually got more difficult to drive the car around the track. We're now thinking about a solution and will hopefully sort it out by tomorrow."

Job van Uitert (16, NED, Provily Racing), P21: "I went into a spin on the warm-up lap, which unfortunately meant I had to start from the back. But I fought my way up from 35th place to 21st, so I'm pretty happy with the result. The car had good balance during the race. Tomorrow, I would like to just see the chequered flag. The point is to gain experience, and I hope that I can improve my results in every race."

David Kolkmann (18, Sendenhorst, Jenzer Motorsport), P27: "Unfortunately, we had some problems today with the setup. I couldn't keep up properly on the straights because unfortunately we were lacking top speed today. Even trying to exploit slipstream didn't really help. We now need to find out the reason why, so that we can have two good races tomorrow."

Benjamin Mazatis (17, Bruckmühl, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport), DNF: "The start was a bit tricky, because I was facing downhill. That meant I was not only having to juggle the accelerator and the clutch, but also the brakes. Still, I managed that quite well. Sadly, my race came to a premature end. Consequently, I'll be starting the third race from the back of the field. If it rains, I can always hope that my opponents in front make some mistakes."