ADAC Formel 4·18.10.2018

The 2018 ADAC Formula 4 in facts and figures: Zendeli in second place overall on list of all-time greats with ten race wins

Title treble for Kerpen-based outfit, US Racing CHRS, who dominated the 2018 ADAC Formula 4 season in all three classifications. Lirim Zendeli (19, Germany, US Racing CHRS, 348 points) comfortably won the championship, coming first across the line in ten of the 20 races. David Schumacher (16, Germany, US Racing CHRS), son of ex Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher, secured the Rookie championship and along with Mick Wishofer (19, Austria) and Tom Beckhäuser (19, Czech Republic), took the win and the 'Cloverleaf' in the team classification (562 points) from Dutch squad, Van Amersfoort Racing (521) and from Italian defending champions, Prema Theodore Racing (416).

'Kiwi' Liam Lawson (16, New Zealand, Van Amersfoort Racing, 234 points) and Enzo Fittipaldi (17, Brazil, Prema Theodore Racing, 223 points) took second and third place respectively in the overall standings. Some 29 young motor racing talents from 15 countries competed in the 20 races that made up this year's ADAC Formula 4 season. The average age of drivers on the day of the last race at the Hockenheim season finale was 17.10.

The 2018 ADAC Formula 4 season in facts and figures

Plenty of variety: 29 drivers from 15 countries, including seven from Germany, participated in the 20 races during the seven race weekends. Ten juniors from six countries (four from Germany) were contesting their first season in motor racing as rookies.

Grand European tour: The drivers raced for nine teams from seven countries. Two teams came from Germany, two from Switzerland and one from Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland and the Czech Republic.

Variety at the top: Eight drivers shared top honours. Lirim Zendeli won three races in 2017 but achieved ten wins in 2018 while Liam Lawson took three wins. Frederik Vesti (16, Denmark, Van Amersfoort Racing) made two appearances on the top rung of the podium. 2017 Rookie champion Mick Wishofer, Charles Weerts (17, Van Amersfoort Racing), the two Prema drivers Oliver Caldwell (16, Great Britain) and Enzo Fittipaldi, and Niklas Krütten (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) all made one appearance on the podium top step.

All-conquering: Zendeli took 13 podiums - more than any other driver. Lawson picked up three trophies for finishing in the Top Three. Fittipaldi Jr achieved nine podiums, Vesti eight, Caldwell and Weerts four and Krütten three. Gianluca Petecof (15, Brazil, Prema Theodore Racing) and Leon Köhler (19, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) both achieved one podium.

Chasing records: Joey Mawson (22, Australia), the 2016 champion, is still the most successful driver in the ADAC Formula 4 with 15 victories to his name, topping the list of all-time F4 greats. Lirim Zendeli has now moved up into second place with 13 wins and is well ahead of 2015 champion Marvin Dienst (Germany, eight).

Top Juniors: The battle in the Rookie classification ended 8:6 in David Schumacher's favour. Until the very last race weekend, he and fellow German, Niklas Krütten, were locked in an exciting wheel-to-wheel battle for the win in the category for drivers with no previous motor racing experience. Ultimately, Schumacher secured eight wins and 332 points, two wins and 31 points more than main rival Krütten (6 wins, 301 points). The other six rookie victories went to Van Amersfoort drivers Joey Alders (18, Netherlands) and Jack Doohan (15, Australia), Ido Cohen (16, Israel) and Leon Köhler from ADAC Berlin Brandenburg e.V., and to Prema's two drivers Gianluca Petecof and Caio Collet (16, Brazil).

Qualifying experts: Four drivers were fastest in qualifying. Champion Zendeli achieved an amazing eight pole positions. Championship runner-up Lawson took three, Fittipaldi two and Vesti one.

Phew! That was close, or was it?: In the closest finish to any race this season, Lirim Zendeli was a mere 0.370 seconds up on Prema Theodore Racing driver Enzo Fittipaldi as the first race at the Nürburgring ended. Austria's Wishofer pulled out the biggest lead of any race winner in the sixth round of the season at the Hockenheimring, crossing the line 5.528 seconds ahead of Niklas Krütten in second place.

Speedy: Brazilian Fittipaldi achieved the highest speed of any driver over a lap with an average of 171.1 km/h in the first qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring.

All-conquering, again!: Lirim Zendeli was in a class of his own in terms of the most laps covered in the lead. He led the field for 192 laps, some 53.93 percent of the time or for more than half of all the laps posted. Niklas Krütten is a long way behind him in second place with 29 laps spent in P1. Liam Lawson and Frederik Vesti both led the field for 25 laps, followed by Enzo Fittipaldi and Oliver Caldwell (20), Weerts (19), Wishofer (16) and Alders (10).

Fastest race laps: Lirim Zendeli also heads the category for the most fastest race laps with eight best times of anyone. Wishofer, Vesti and Fittipaldi set the fastest lap three times, Weerts was twice fastest, and a rookie - Jack Doohan - even managed to post the fastest race lap once.

Going the distance: 356 laps were completed in this season's 20 races on tyres from sole tyre provider, Pirelli. That's a total race distance of 1,502 kilometres!