The ADAC Formula 4 juniors had a spectacular weekend of racing at Zandvoort. The circuit in the dunes on the Dutch North Sea coast was completely new territory for the young talents and put huge demands on them, but two drivers secured their maiden victories in the ADAC Formula 4, and one rookie appeared on the top rung of the podium for a second time. Here's the latest news from Zandvoort's paddock.
Gambler cleans up: Alessandro Famularo was over the moon after his successful gambling coup. He and his team were the only ones to stick with slicks in Saturday's race - and were absolutely right to do so! It had rained a little on the grid, and Famularo's rivals busied themselves with the switch to full wets, but not Famularo. He took a gamble and remained true to his original choice. From 15th on the grid, he then drove to his first ADAC Formula 4 win. "When I saw the sun appear in the sky, I knew our strategy would work," he said. All the other drivers came into the pits to bolt on slicks - while Famularo disappeared into the distance. Two safety car deployments caused the field to bunch together again, but the protégé of Formula 1 legend Juan Pablo Montoya kept his cool.
Excellent haul of points: Championship leader, Theo Pourchaire, did not take a win at the weekend but nevertheless, can still be satisfied. With two second and one seventh place, the 'half-time' champion extended his lead in the standings on his rival, Arthur Leclerc, to 29 points. "The championship is our goal. It's vital to be consistent," said Pourchaire.
Following in the family tradition: Paul Aron was very proud and happy. "I'm mega pleased that I've been able to continue the family tradition and win here," he told us with a big smile. Just to explain, his brother Ralf, who also used to compete in the ADAC Formula 4, took two wins in Formula 3 last year here at Zandvoort, and now, Paul was following in Ralf's footsteps. He was "mega happy" about that, as he had proved his enormous talent yet again. Despite being a rookie, he already has two racing successes to his name, just as many as Red Bull Junior, Dennis Hauger.
Maiden win: 17-year-old Sebastian Estner did not have an easy weekend at all. He got a DNF after a contact in Race 1, was eighth in the second round and took points as a result, but the absolute highlight of his weekend was still to come. Estner started from pole position on Sunday thanks to the reverse grid rule and drove an absolutely faultless race. His start was perfect, and the safety car periods were no problem either. In the end, Van Amersfoort Racing were able to notch up a home win and along the way, Estner took his maiden win in the ADAC Formula 4. "Incredible! I could jump for joy," he said.
The weather: With gusts of wind up to 100 km/h, heavy rain and sunshine, the constantly changing weather presented the ADAC Formula 4 drivers with some major challenges. "The weather sure is crazy but exciting at the same time. Very dramatic!" is what rookie Roman Stanek had to say about the extremely variable conditions.
Many fans at Zandvoort: Many fans came to watch the ADAC Formula 4 races despite the poor weather. There were more than 14,000 spectators in the stands and plenty more with the free Dune Ticket, who really enjoyed watching the three exciting races with the formula racing juniors.
Next stop - Nürburgring: There's no let-up in the ADAC Formula 4 at the moment, as racing is set to continue this weekend with the fifth meet of the season at the Nürburgring, which also means that the fifth season of the ADAC Formula 4 will soon be heading down the home straight.