Dennis Hauger (16, Norway, Van Amersfoort Racing) was fastest in free practice and in great demand by the autograph hunters. He clocked the best time in the first free practice session of the ADAC Formula 4 weekend at Hockenheim, which this time shares the billing with Formula 1. In temperatures of around 40°C, the 16-year-old set a lap time of 1:42.243 minutes ahead of the two joint championship leaders Théo Pourchaire (16, France, US Racing CHRS) and Niklas Krütten (16, Trier, Van Amersfoort Racing). The two races at Hockenheim will be shown live on TV channels SPORT1 and SPORT1+. They can also be viewed online via the ADAC Formula 4 Facebook page, on SPORT1.de and on adac.de/motorsport.

"What a great atmosphere here," said Hauger. "This is my first time at a Formula 1 weekend, and it's a very special experience. I like the track a lot. First place in free practice gives me a good feeling, but the conditions are likely to change over the course of the weekend, so we have to make sure that we stay fast."

Best rookie was Paul Aron (15, Estonia, Prema Powerteam) in overall fourth, followed by Gianluca Petecof (16, Brazil, Prema Powerteam), Gregoire Saucy (19, Switzerland, R-ace GP), Ido Cohen (17, Israel, Van Amersfoort Racing), Alessandro Ghiretti (17, France, US Racing CHRS), Arthur Leclerc (18, Monaco, US Racing CHRS) and Joshua Dürksen (15, Paraguay, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.).

At the end of the session, the drivers of the ADAC High-Speed Academy proceeded to the main stage in the Formula 1 fan zone where the stars of tomorrow introduced themselves to the fans. They then patiently stood around posing for selfies, signing autographs and answering questions. In any case, they clearly enjoyed being the centre of attention. "That was pretty cool and definitely fun," said Krütten: "It's something I could happily get used to! It's great to be sharing the occasion with the big names." Hauger concurred: "Wow, there really are a lot of people here! It is my ambition to make the step up to Formula 1 someday. And after this experience, I'll be working all the harder to achieve it."

After the meet-the-fans session, there was time for the youngsters to immerse themselves in the world of premier class racing and to form lasting impressions. Some of the ADAC Formula 4 contestants cooled off in the paddling pool, while others watched the free practice for the Formula 1 superstars, including ADAC Formula 4 patron Sebastian Vettel. "I was here last year, but it's just as impressive as the first time," said Krütten.

The ADAC Formula 4 qualifying session takes place at 09:45 CEST on Saturday morning, with the first of the weekend's two races following at 17:00 CEST after the Formula 1 quali. Krütten and the other youngsters are expecting a massive turnout for the occasion. "It's going to be great," he said. Red Bull Junior Hauger added with a wry smile: "I'm from Norway where we aren't used to these temperatures. So I wouldn't mind if it were a few degrees cooler."