Marvin Dienst (18, DEU, HTP F4 Junior Team UNGAR) has done it. The 18-year-old secured the first ADAC Formula 4 championship title in front of his home crowd. He achieved this title win in the ADAC High-Speed Academy with his win in the first race during the season finale at the Hockenheimring. Dienst's record so far this season: Eight wins, 14 podiums, 7 pole positions and six fastest laps. Dienst now intends to build on his title in the ADAC Formula 4. ADAC Formula 4 patron Sebastian Vettel is of the opinion that success in the ADAC High-Speed Academy constitutes the best foundation for a career in motorsport: "A good showing in ADAC Formula 4 is a convincing recommendation for recruitment to the higher echelons of the sport."

A delighted Dienst said: "A dream has come true for me with this championship win. The fact that I've achieved this success in front of my home crowd really puts the icing on the cake." Dienst lives just a few kilometres away from the Hockenheimring, where he has achieved his biggest success to date in motorsport. The winner's trophy for the championship will make its way straight to his home in Lampertheim after the final race weekend of the 2015 season. A separate room for all the trophies he has won so far during his career has been set up in the basement of his parents' house. He has won around 250 trophies since posting his first laps in a kart aged five - now comes the most important addition.

In the closely fought field of ADAC Formula 4 entrants, Dienst was one of the favourites to take the title even before the season began. The youngster fielded by HTP F4 Junior Team UNGAR was always one to watch in view of previous successes in formula racing in particular. After his overall win in the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup, Dienst switched to the Formel ADAC, the predecessor to the ADAC Formula 4. Racing for different teams, he finished 2013 and 2014 in the Top Five of the championship in both seasons. With 15 podiums in all, Dienst is one of the most successful drivers in the series.

Pressure to succeed mastered

He repeated his achievements with HTP F4 Junior Team UNGAR in the ADAC Formula 4 and went one better in the end. During the season, Dienst would always appear unconcerned but always focused in the paddock. Sunglasses and huge headphones were among his hallmarks as he prepared for races. Outwardly, the newly crowned champion may have seemed totally relaxed, but he first had to learn to deal with expectations.

"I did feel a certain amount of pressure to succeed before the start of the season," said Dienst, looking back, "but that evaporated, fortunately, after the double victory in the season opener." The start to his debut season in the ADAC Formula 4 could not have gone better. He entered the record books as the first winner of the series during the inaugural race weekend at the etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. Dienst also won the second race in Oschersleben, laying claim to the championship title at an early stage.

Later in the season, Dienst had a keenly contested three-way battle with title rivals Joel Eriksson (17, SWE, Motopark) and Joey Mawson (19, AUS, Van Amersfoort Racing). He really got into his stride, though, beginning with the fourth race weekend at the Lausitzring. In eleven consecutive races, he finished ten times on the podium and won five races. With this impressive winning streak, Dienst paved the way for his future championship triumph in the new ADAC formula racing series for juniors.

Main objective: Le Mans

With the title now under his belt, Dienst intends to climb the next rung on the career ladder. Dienst would most like to cause a stir in the FIA Formula 3 European championship in 2016. His main objective: The 24-hour Le Mans classic.

Dienst is on track to follow in the footsteps of successful predecessors. The ADAC formula racing youth development programme has long been a starting point for future motorsports stars. In the past, Formula 1 drivers including four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, world championship runner-up Nico Rosberg, Nico Hülkenberg and Ralf Schumacher and DTM stars Martin Tomczyk, Pascal Wehrlein and Timo Glock all started their successful careers in various ADAC junior formula racing series.