The second ADAC Formula 4 season was consigned to history on the first weekend in October after 24 exciting races. Joey Mawson (20, Australia, Van Amersfoort Racing) won the drivers' championship from Mick Schumacher (17, Germany, Prema Powerteam) and Mike David Ortmann (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg eV). Nicklas Nielsen (19, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing) took victory in the rookie rankings from Prema Powerteam drivers Juri Vips (16, Estonia) and Juan Manuel Correa (17, USA, Ecuador). In the final race, the Italian Prema Powerteam (459.5) edged in front of Dutch team Van Amersfoort Racing (455) to win the team championship. Team ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V. (356) just managed to secure third place by narrowly beating Kerpen-based outfit, US Racing (351), led by Gerhard Ungar and ex-Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher.

The 2016 ADAC Formula 4 in facts and figures

During the eight race weekends, 46 drivers from 17 different countries took part at least once, 18 of them from Germany. 16 young talents, representing ten nationalities were contesting their first season in motor racing and fought for points in the rookie rankings.

The 42 male and four female drivers drove for 17 teams from six countries. Most teams were based in Germany (10). In addition, there were two teams from Austria and Switzerland as well as one from Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark.

The youngest driver in this year's field was Richard Verschoor (Netherlands, Motopark), aged 15. Marylin Niederhauser (Switzerland, Rennsport Rössler & Lechner Racing) was the oldest at 21. At the last race on 2nd October, the average age of all drivers lining up in 2016 was 17.41 years.

Joey Mawson, Janneau Esmeijer, Mick Schumacher, Michael Waldherr, Mike David Ortmann, Kim-Luis Schramm, Jannes Fittje, Thomas Preining, Toni Wolf, Cedric Piro, Kami Laliberté and Moritz Müller-Crepon had all finished in the points previously during the 2015 debut season. Mauro Auricchio, Robin Brezina, Luca Engstler, Michelle Halder, Kevin Kratz, Marylin Niederhauser, Thomas Preining, Carrie Schreiner and Job van Uitert were also contesting their second second year in the ADAC Formula 4.

Eight drivers shared the wins. Joey Mawson won ten times. Mick Schumacher stood on the top rung of the podium five times. Mike David Ortmann took another win in Zandvoort following his double victory at the Sachsenring. Thomas Preining (18, Austria, Lechner Racing) won his home race at the Red Bull Ring and won again at the Nürburgring. Kim-Luis Schramm (19, Germany, US Racing), Simo Laaksonen (18, Finnland, Motopark), Swiss rookie Fabio Scherer (17, Switzerland, Jenzer Motorsport) and Kami Laliberté (17, Canada, Van Amersfoort Racing) all took one win each.

The statistics show just how intense competition was in the ADAC Formula 4. Some 16 drivers (Mawson, Schumacher, Ortmann, Preining, Schramm, Fittje, Scherer, Laaksonen, Laliberté, Hoogenboom, Correa, Vips, Zendeli, Aberdein, Nielsen and Drugovich) all secured podiums. Mawson took the most podiums, 16 in all (10 x first - 4 x second - 2 x third) - and stood on the winner's podium more times than anyone else. Mick Schumacher (5-4-3) made it onto the podium twelve times, and Mike David Ortmann (3-3-4) ten times.

Joey Mawson is the most successful driver ever in the ADAC Formula 4 with 15 wins (five in 2015 and ten in 2016). Marvin Dienst (Germany) is second with eight wins in 2015, while last year's runner-up, Joel Eriksson (Sweden), took seven wins in 2015.

This year's champion Mawson (374) had a 52-point lead on Mick Schumacher (322) in second place and 127 on ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Mike David Ortmann (247). The winner of the title was decided before the end of the season after the 22nd of 24 races. In 2015, champion Marvin's lead on Joel Eriksson in second place was 48 points.

The neck-and-neck race in the rookie standings was won by Nicklas Nielsen. Both the Dane and second-placed Juri Vips took six wins, six second places and were each third once. Nielsen only finished twice out of the points and won the ranking which is exclusively for drivers without any previous experience of formula racing by twelve points from the Estonian.

Four young ladies continued the tradition of female drivers in the ADAC junior formula racing series. Michelle Halder (17, Germany, Liqui Moly Team Engstler), Carrie Schreiner (18, Germany, US Racing) and Marylin Niederhauser contested their second season in single-seater racing. The youngest female driver in the field, Sophia Flörsch (15, Germany, Motopark), had a very successful first season. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégée finished in the Top Ten seven times in the 24 races this season. The 15-year-old placed fifth in the third race at the season opener in Oschersleben. She led the race for a while, becoming the first female driver in ADAC Formula 4 history ever to do so.

Eleven different drivers started a race from pole position. Joey Mawson led the field away on the first lap seven times, Mick Schumacher four times and Kim-Luis Schramm three times. Thomas Preining and Mike David Ortmann both secured pole positions twice. Jonathan Aberdein (18, South Africa, Motopark), Juri Vips, Leonard Hoogenboom (16, Netherlands, Van Amersfoort Racing), Simo Laaksonen, Jannes Fittje (17, Germany, US Racing) and Janneau Esmeijer (19, Netherlands, Timo Scheider) all took one pole each.

The pole-sitter subsequently went on to win the race 14 times (7x Mawson, 3x Schumacher, 1x Ortmann, Preining, Schramm and Laaksonen). There were a total of 15 start-finish victories (Mawson / 6, Schumacher / 3, Ortmann / 2, Preining / 2, Schramm / 1, Laaksonen / 1).

In the closest finish across the line, Mick Schumacher had a deficit of only 0.393 seconds on race winner Simo Laaksonen in the third fixture at the Red Bull Ring. Joey Mawson showed his class by racking up the biggest lead of any race winner. In the first race at the Hockenheimring, the Australian not only decided the title but left no doubt about his ability with a lead of 6.161 seconds on runner-up Mike David Ortmann and 12.427 seconds on Juri Vips in third place.

Joey Mawson was also in front as far as laps in the lead go. The Australian led the field for a total of 132 laps. Mick Schumacher with 75 and Mike David Ortmann with 57 took the remaining places in this category. Thomas Preining finished in fourth place (51).

The drivers notched up 391 laps in the 24 races on tyres supplied by exclusive partner Pirelli, which equates to a total distance of 1,523.349 kilometres.

The highest average speed was achieved by Juan Manuel Correa (USA, Ecuador, Prema Powerteam). The 17-year-old lapped the Red Bull Ring at an average speed of 171.9 km/h in the second race.

Joey Mawson posted the most fastest laps, six in all. Kim-Luis Schramm set the fastest lap four times.