The ADAC Formula 4 championship has been decided. Marvin Dienst (18, DEU, HTP F4 Junior Team UNGAR) won the first race at the finale on the Hockenheimring, thus securing an early title victory. After his eighth win of the season, the local driver from Lampertheim cannot now be beaten in terms of points in the remaining two races. And so, Dienst enters the record books as the first champion in the history of the new ADAC High-Speed Academy.
"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," said the HTP F4 Junior Team UNGAR youngster after he had received the winner's trophy from ADAC Sports President Hermann Tomczyk.
Pole, win, championship
Dienst's closest rival for the title, Joel Eriksson (17, SWE, Motopark), led the race from the new champion until the eleventh lap. The Motopark driver fell a long way back down the field, though, after being handed a drive-through penalty for a dangerous manoeuvre. Dienst took the lead and converted his pole position into a win. At the finish line, he was 1.063 seconds up on David Beckmann (15, DEU, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport) in second place. His team-mate Lando Norris (15, GBR, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport) completed the podium party.
A thrilling battle for the remaining podium places broke out behind Dienst in one of the most exciting races of the year. Tim Zimmermann (19, DEU, Neuhauser Racing), who had started from seventh place on the grid, was in second position until four laps before the end. He finally had to admit defeat to Beckmann after a tough battle. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé achieved his best result in his first year in formula racing with second place. In the final phase of the race, Norris also won through against Zimmermann, achieving his fifth podium finish in his seventh ADAC Formula 4 race.
Mick Schumacher (16, DEU, Van Amersfoort Racing) was also in contention for a podium for quite a long time. The son of Formula 1 record world champion Michael Schumacher improved from ninth place on the grid to take P4 during the first stint of the race. However, the formula racing rookie had to retire to the pit lane on the 13th lap with damage to his car.
Beckmann on target to finish Rookie champion
Mike Ortmann (15, DEU, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport) in fifth place secured more vital points towards the Rookie championship. He's in second place behind team-mate Beckmann in the standings for automobile racing newcomers. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé leads the rookie class with 346 points overall. Ortmann on 319 points is in second position. 50 points for two wins will be awarded in the final races of the season at the Hockenheimring.
Battle for position of runner-up still undecided
Dienst will again be on pole in the second race on Saturday afternoon (live on SPORT1 at 17:15 CEST). He is the most successful of all drivers in the ADAC Formula 4 with a total of seven pole positions. The battle for the number two spot promises to be really exciting. Eriksson is in second place on 280 points behind Dienst (335 points). Joey Mawson (19, AUS, Van Amersfoort Racing) has 257 points and still has hopes of finishing second overall. The Van Amersfoort Racing driver was in sixth place in the initial stages of the race until he had to pit with damage to his car. The Australian secured tenth place and one championship point after going on a charge up the field.
Comments from the podium
Marvin Dienst (18, DEU, HTP F4 Junior Team UNGAR), Winner: "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), Second: "I'm very pleased with this podium and victory in the rookie standings. I've now extended my lead in the championship. It was a really exciting race with lots of overtaking. I even fought for the lead with Marvin and Joel for a time but lost two positions after a braking mistake. I worked my way back to the front and had my team-mate Lando directly to my rear over the last few laps. I had to drive without making any mistakes in the infield in order to compensate for his slipstream advantage."
Lando Norris (15, GBR, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport), Third: "I got away to a good start from third on the grid. I braked a bit late when Joel attacked me and lost a few positions, unfortunately. After that, it was a really close race. I could hardly keep count of the overtaking manoeuvres at the end of the straight. A fellow competitor hit me in a scrap, which damaged my front wing. That cost me a bit of speed, but third place is a good result."