Deliverance: 15-year-old Oliver Bearman seemed to be plagued by bad luck during the first two race weekends, whether by a technical failure in the last corner or as the result of contacts with competitors while in a promising position. The British driver demonstrated his basic speed time after time, but things never seemed to work out in the races, until Saturday at the Hockenheimring, that is. Bearman performed consistently well in the race, was error-free and took his maiden victory in the ADAC Formula 4 in the second round of the weekend. At the same time, this was also his first ever podium. "It was an extremely tough race," said Bearman afterwards. "I was under a lot of pressure but am really happy to have won my first Formula 4 race. I've finally broken my duck."
Maiden win: Your first win always tastes the sweetest, as Victor Bernier now knows after Sunday's round. The Frenchman took his maiden win in the ADAC Formula 4 after showing promise in the season opener at the Lausitzring where he finished second. It was now his turn to take his place on the top rung of the podium for the first time. "What a race!" said Bernier with a big, beaming smile. "I'm mega happy. We did a great job, the whole team. It's just incredible, and this win is also great with regard to the championship." Bernier is now fourth in the overall standings.
Girl power: A newcomer with a famous name made her first appearance in the ADAC Formula 4 at the Hockenheimring. Hamda Al Qubaisi, the 18-year-old daughter of GT specialist Khaled Al Qubaisi, spent her first weekend, racing in the ADAC High-Speed Academy. And she promptly scored, picking up one point in the first race for finishing tenth. In the second race, however, she finished out of the points after receiving a drive-through penalty and was 14th in the third race on Sunday morning.
Fresh faces: Hamda Al Qubaisi was not the only fresh face on the grid in south-west Germany, as two other drivers were also making their first appearance in the ADAC Formula 4. The 15-year-old Italian Leonardo Fornaroli lined up for Team Iron Lynx, while Erick Zuniga, who is the same age, joined the line-up at ADAC Berlin-Brandeburg eV. In this close-fought, high-calibre field, they both needed a little time to find their feet, but overall, they mastered the task in hand well and did not make any major mistakes. Zuniga even finished ninth in his first race, taking two points, while Fornaroli in eleventh place just missed out on a reward for his efforts in the same race.
Crack skiers: Tyre supplier Pirelli is presenting a very special prize to the fastest drivers in qualifying, so, after winning their Pirelli Pole Position Awards on Friday for Race 1 and 2, Joshua Dürksen and Gabriele Mini both received a pair of Pirelli skis. Now as we all know, the Eifel weather is a law unto itself, but even so, we very much doubt whether they will be able to try out their new skis next weekend at the Nürburgring within the context of the ADAC Total 24-hour race!
Clock misses a beat: So far, Jonny Edgar's season has gone like a dream with three wins from the first six races and four more podiums. Prior to the race weekend at the Hockenheimring, the British teenager’s season was running like clockwork. However, Van Amersfoort’s driver was forced to realise at the Hockenheimring that setbacks in sport are also part and parcel of life as a racing driver. He was third again in the first race and fourth in the second round but finished out of the points on Sunday for the first time this season after damaging a tyre in a contact. His direct rival, Elias Seppänen has now moved up to within twelve points of him in the overall standings and was already rejoicing: "I think now it’s going to be a close fight for the title and I’m really looking forward to next week!"