ADAC Formel 4·11.4.2017

Test: Aberdein and Drugovich set the pace: Juniors complete six sessions at Oschersleben

The contestants in this year's ADAC Formula 4 have now had their first chance to weigh up the opposition. The six test sessions held on Monday and Tuesday of this week at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben were an opportunity for teams and drivers to do some serious preparation for the third season of the ADAC High-Speed Academy. The teams trialled various setups, while the drivers practised start techniques and rehearsed under race conditions for the third ADAC Formula 4 season which is scheduled to begin on the weekend of 28th to 30th April at Oschersleben.

Jonathan Aberdein (19, South Africa, Motopark) and Felipe Drugovich (16, Brazil, Van Amersfoort Racing) set the pace in testing on the circuit near Magdeburg. Aberdein clocked the fastest time of either test day in the fourth session on Tuesday morning with a lap of 01:26.125 minutes. The 19-year-old came out on top in three of the six sessions and consistently featured in the top rankings.

"Everything went well for us, especially for Jonathan, who emerged from each session among the Top Three," commented Motopark team principal Timo Rumpfkeil. "We have created a good basis here, and the other lads also did well. We now need to ensure that we make good use of the days ahead of us, and then we can look forward with confidence to the start of the season."

Brazil's Drugovich was fastest in two of the sessions: his best time of 01:26.247 minutes on Monday was only slightly inferior to that of Aberdein. In the sixth session, it was Juan Manuel Correa (USA, Prema Powerteam) who topped the timesheets. Juri Vips (16, Estonia, Prema Powerteam) made it into the Top Three on three occasions. Sophia Flörsch (16, Grünwald, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany) and Fabio Scherer (17, Switzerland, US Racing) each posted a second-fastest time.