Munich: Hockenheim is all set for the title showdown. The 2016 ADAC Formula 4 championships will not be settled until the final race weekend (30th September - 2nd October) of the season when Joey Mawson (20, Australia, Van Amersfoort Racing) and Mick Schumacher (17, Germany, Prema Powerteam) go head to head. Like many other young drivers before them, they see the junior formula series as a springboard to career advancement. They are following in the footsteps of current Formula 1 stars such as Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Nico Hülkenberg and Pascal Wehrlein who also contested the ADAC junior series on their way to the top. SPORT1 and SPORT1+ will be showing all three races at the Hockenheimring live. They can also be watched online at www.sport1.de or at www.adac.de/formel-4.
After 21 out of 24 races, there are only 39 points separating Mick Schumacher from Joey Mawson, the championship leader from Down Under, with 75 points more available for the winner or winners of the three final races at Hockenheim. Mawson has every reason to feel confident ahead of Hockenheim. The two main contenders have similar tactics for the title showdown. "I'm going into the final race weekend as championship leader, which gives me a good chance of winning the title," says Mawson. "But I'm focusing on my own performance rather than on what might happen." Schumacher is taking a similar approach: "There is no specific plan. I'll treat this weekend like all the others before, in other words, step by step, and then make the best of it." However, the son of record F1 championship winner Michael Schumacher also knows that the only way he can win the title is by attacking Mawson. "I will certainly be doing everything I can to convert this chance into success. As long as I have a chance, I will fight to exploit it."
Mawson has an impressive track record this season of eight wins, four P2 finishes and two P3s. But despite the statistical evidence and the 20-year-old Australian's more extensive racing experience, Schumacher still has every chance of pipping him to the post. Mawson's only remaining challenger for the title has so far won four races as well as finishing second on four occasions and third three times. One thing is clear: Mawson and Schumacher will engage in thrilling combat right down to the last metre in their quest to inherit the crown from last year's champion, Marvin Dienst.
Mawson is looking forward to Hockenheim with its hairpin, Parabolica and Motodrom sections. He has fond memories of having won the final race of the 2015 season there: "I like the track, especially the fast corners. The Hockenheimring offers good overtaking opportunities, so there will certainly be some great scraps."
Mike David Ortmann (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg), who finished as runner-up in the Best Rookie class last year in the debut season for ADAC Formula 4, is feeling upbeat about returning to this classic racetrack. He is currently third in the championship, 62 points adrift of Schumacher, but with a win and a second-place finish at Zandvoort, he showed how fast you can move up the table in this competition. "As long as there is a mathematical chance of progressing, I'll give it everything I've got," says the ADAC Sports Foundation protégé, who has so far won three races in the 2016 competition. "Let's see if we can finish one place higher. I operate on the principle of 'Take it easy and don't get uptight'." At Hockenheim Ortmann will be concentrating his efforts on qualifying. "With the long straights there, it will definitely be an advantage if you start the race from P1 or P2. If you're not up with the leading group, that makes the race hard to win."
Nielsen, Correa and Vips in battle for Rookie title; four contenders for team championship
The Best Rookie classification is also still wide open. Between them, Nicklas Nielsen (19, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing, 282 points), Juan Manuel Correa (17, USA/Ecuador, Prema Powerteam, 261½ points) and Juri Vips (16, Estonia, Prema Powerteam, 243 points) have lifted the Best Rookie trophy on twelve occasions this year, and there is not much separating them in terms of points.
Another close-run contest is the team championship. The four outfits still in the mix are Schumacher's Prema Powerteam from Italy (390½ points), Mawson Van Amersfoort Racing from the Netherlands (368), the Kerpen-based US Racing Team run by Gerhard Ungar and ex-Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher (330 points), and ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg (310).
Debut for Jordan Love on final weekend; various changes of personnel ahead of season finale
Making his debut in the ADAC Formula 4 at the Hockenheimring will be Jordan Love (17, Australia, SMC Motorsport Schwärzler). Currently running second in the equivalent Formula 4 series in Australia, Love will be putting in a guest appearance for SMC Motorsport Schwärzler. There have been various changes of personnel in the line-up for the season finale, including some young drivers making their return to the series. Robin Brezina (17, Germany) switches to a Team Rennsport Rössler cockpit, having so far competed with his own team. Marylin Niederhauser (21, Switzerland) has now joined the Lechner Racing team from Austria, while Michael Waldherr (19, Germany) returns for the final race weekend to Team Motopark for whom he drove last year.
Ricardo Feller (16, Switzerland, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.), Andreas Estner (16, Germany, RS Competition), Diego Ciantini (18, Argentina, Jenzer Motorsport) and Giacomo Bianchi (16, Switzerland, Jenzer Motorsport) are meanwhile making welcome comebacks to the series.
In the 2016 season, ADAC Formula 4 continues to work in close collaboration with its established partners. The turbocharged engines are supplied by Abarth, while the chassis come from Italian manufacturer Tatuus. The Italian premium tyre manufacturer Pirelli - well-known for its association with Formula 1 - and wheel manufacturer Motec are also official suppliers to ADAC Formula 4. Suspension manufacturer Eibach and vehicle inspection experts DEKRA are further series partners. Auto Zeitung continues to be the official media partner.