On the fourth weekend of the 2015 ADAC Formula 4, Nikolaj Rogivue produced his best result yet in the high-calibre junior formula series. Team-mate Giorgio Maggi missed out on the points-scoring positions in front of around 10,000 spectators.

Highlights of the weekend

On the up: Nikolaj Rogivue is steadily improving his performance. At the Lausitzring, the Swiss teenager produced his best ADAC Formula 4 result to date. Starting from 26th on the grid in Race 2, Rogivue went on to finish 15th. The 19-year-old staged a similar charge up field in the third race. Having advanced 13 places, Nikolaj crossed the line in P16. A grand total of 24 positions gained in two races. "I was very fast in free practice and thought I was in for a good weekend," says Rogivue. "Unfortunately, a spin in qualifying stopped me getting a better starting position. Our speed in the race shows what might have been. I´m sure that I´ll soon be scoring points."

A narrow miss: Having finished in the Top Ten on the two previous race weekends, the target for Giorgio Maggi at the Lausitzring was to convert P8 in his qualifying group into more points. He missed out narrowly in the first race with a P11 finish. Frustrating, because under the rules of the competition, tenth place would have put him in pole position for Race 3. "I was eleventh when the safety car came out on the track," said Giorgio. "After the restart, I captured tenth place. Unfortunately, I had to steer wide into the run-off area to avoid a collision and lost the position again. This was my third P11 finish of the season, so I´ve never been far off the points."

Scorcher at the Lausitzring: The thermometer reached record temperatures during the weekend´s racing at the Lausitzring. At one point, the mercury was touching 40°C, so it was understandable that the drivers were working up a phenomenal sweat. Giorgio Maggi and Nikolaj Rogivue benefited from being in peak physical condition and had no problems with the heat. "I´m thoroughly fit," says Nikolai. "That pays off in conditions like this when you´re sitting in the car. Because I spend a lot of the year mending karts in Italy, I have no problems with these temperatures." Team-mate Maggi concurs: "The heat was tiring, but I stayed fully focused right through to the last race. It was all the more difficult at this track because there are no long straights where you can catch your breath."

Water fight in the paddock: The starting field of almost 40 cars ensures that ADAC Formula 4 is one of the most competitive racing series on the calendar. But that doesn´t mean the contestants aren´t allowed a bit of fun. In response to the heatwave, the youngsters waged a spontaneous water fight in the centre of the paddock. "That was a cool idea, something I´ve never experienced before," said Giorgio. "Just because you´re a racing driver doesn´t mean you should neglect the fun element. If you miss out on that aspect, you become obsessed, and that does you no good in the end."

Team manager Marco Tischer´s assessment: "We are currently going through some ups and downs. But our focus is clearly on the future, and I´m convinced that things will soon be going better for us. The season opener with the podium showed how much potential there is in our young team. There´s not much missing. In this tightly bunched field, every tenth of a second lost costs you several places. Towards the end of the weekend, we were managing to set decent lap times. Now we have to ensure that we get the maximum performance in qualifying."