The talented youngsters of the ADAC Formula 4 made sure that Sunday at the Sachsenring provided fitting entertainment for the fans. Joey Mawson (19, AUS, Van Amersfoort Racing) won the third of three ADAC Formula 4 races on the history-steeped circuit in Saxony. Currently placed third in the championship, he thereby boosted his chances in the title chase. After winning both of the races on Saturday, championship leader Marvin Dienst (18, DEU, HTP Junior Team) staged a charge up field from tenth on the grid to finish as runner-up and claim his third podium of the weekend. Local favourite Kim Luis Schramm (18, DEU, Neuhauser Racing) from nearby Wolfsberg made his debut appearance on the podium with third place.
"This victory is fantastic - probably the best of my career so far," said Mawson after recording his third win of the season. From seventh place on the grid, he got off to a magnificent start, immediately moving up into fourth position. At the restart on Lap 15 after the third safety car deployment of the race, Mawson sensed that he was in with a chance of the win. First, he overtook second-placed Mike Ortmann (15, DEU, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport), and on the penultimate lap, he skilfully got past Schramm who had led the race up to that point.
Dienst continues run of podiums
At the finish line, Mawson had a 0.471-second lead over the pursuing Dienst. Having already won the first two races of the Sachsenring weekend, the championship leader laid on a chase that was every bit as spectacular as the one staged by Mawson. From tenth on the grid, he was already up to fifth by the start of Lap 16. He then overtook the two rookies David Beckmann (15, DEU, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport) and Ortmann within a short space of time and thus moved into third position.
At the beginning of the last lap, he took second place from Schramm and then proceeded to set the fastest lap of the race - his third this weekend - as he gave chase to Mawson. There wasn't enough time for an overtaking attempt, but Dienst nonetheless rounded off a strong weekend in front of more than 12,000 spectators with a third straight podium and an eighth Top Three finish in the last nine races.
Maiden podium for local driver Schramm
Kim Luis Schramm also had good cause for cheer after securing the best result in his ADAC Formula 4 career with a third-place finish in front of his home fans. The Neuhauser Racing teenager surged into the lead right at the start of the race and then kept his nerve through three safety car deployments. It was only on the last two laps that he had to let the two title contenders Mawson and Dienst go past.
Tension rising in the title chase
Crossing the line in sixth place behind the kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport duo of Ortmann and Beckmann was Joel Eriksson (17, SWE, Motopark). Having taken the runner-up trophy twice on Saturday, the Swedish youngster missed out on the podium for the first time this weekend. In the championship, Eriksson continues to occupy second place on 228 points. Current leader Dienst has 262 points to his account, a lead of 34. Sunday's victory for third-placed Mawson (225 points) has reduced his deficit on Eriksson to three points.
ADAC Formula 4 as support series to the DTM
The seventh and penultimate event on the 2015 ADAC Formula 4 calendar will take place on the weekend of 11th - 13th September at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben in the framework of the DTM. This means that the junior formula series will be making a return visit to the venue that hosted the first ever races in the history of the new ADAC Formula 4. In the season opener at the circuit near Magdeburg in late April, it was Dienst who won the first two of the three races. Victory in the third went to Mick Schumacher (16, DEU, Van Amersfoort Racing).
Comments from the podium
Joey Mawson (19, AUS, Van Amersfoort Racing), Winner:
"This victory is fantastic - probably the best in my career so far. Marvin was incredibly fast this weekend, but my team gave me a really good car for the third race. A big thank you to the engineers and the whole team. My start was good, but in the restart after the safety car, I went slightly backwards. While I was battling my way forward again, I had some great fights and performed some super overtaking manoeuvres, so I'm really happy about that."
Marvin Dienst (18, DEU, HTP Junior Team), Second:
"Two wins and now second place in the last race; that makes it an almost perfect weekend. On the previous race weekend at the Nürburgring, I notched up two wins and a third place. Now I've managed a second place, so the target for Oschersleben is clear. I was aiming for a hat-trick of wins this time, but the safety car periods were simply too long for me to get all the way to the front. I exerted a lot of pressure on the last lap to catch Joey, but I ran out of time for a proper attack. Once again, the straight-line speed was great, and I've also scored vital points in my battle with Joel. The weekend could hardly have gone any better."
Kim Luis Schramm (18, DEU, Neuhauser Racing), Third:
"I'm very satisfied with this podium finish. It's twice as nice when you're competing in your home race. I held the lead for a long time, I got the timing right for the restarts after the safety car periods, and I kept the gap constant. Towards the end of the race, though, I was having some slight problems with the balance of the car, which cost me some time. I could see the other two closing up on me from behind, but I was surprised at how much faster they were. Even so, P3 is an absolutely satisfactory result."
Mike Ortmann (15, DEU, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport), best-placed rookie:
"I'm delighted with this victory in the rookie classification. However, I have mixed emotions, because a Top Three finish in this race was a distinct possibility. I was in second place for a long time, but after the final restart, I made a small mistake on the first corner. I had not expected Joey to pull past on the inside. Nevertheless, I've scored important points towards the rookie championship and reduced my deficit on David Beckmann. I would like to carry on in this vein at Oschersleben."