Race Report

FIA ADAC FORMULA 4
GERMAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 22/23/24

Circuit: Hockenheim (D), Length 4,574 km, 30^th/01^st/02^nd October 2016
www.hockenheimring.net

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2016:
Fabio Scherer (CH), Kevin Kratz (D), Job van Uitert (NL), Diego Ciantini (ARG) and Giacomo Bianchi (CH)

Van Uitert shines at Hockenheim

The eighth and final race event featuring the German FIA ADAC Formula 4 Championship was held on the popular Hockenheimring circuit. There were 38 drivers signed on to start so there was a lot of excitement in the air. The races can be followed live on Sport1 tv and on the official website under Live Streaming.

Qualifying

Friday, 30/09/2016, 13.55 – 14.40, Weather: Overcast, 18°C

This year the series regulations allow the splitting of the large field into two groups, with each group having a 20-minute qualifying session. The fastest lap time for each driver sets the grid for Race One and the second fastest lap time is used to set the starting positions for Race Two. The grid for Race Three is determined by the results of Race One, with the first ten finishers starting in reverse order.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Qualifying Race (20 minutes)

Saturday, 01/10/2016, 09.05, Weather: Overcast, 15°C

It had been raining over night and the track was still very wet in parts, and despite the rain having stopped all drivers opted for wet weather tyres. Diego made a super start and shot into the lead, while Giacomo lost a few places due to wheelspin. A few laps later a car got stuck in the gravel trap and the Safety Car had to be deployed. That shrank the distances between the cars and Diego lost his nice advantage. At the restart Diego outbraked himself and didn’t make a good exit from the corner. The others didn’t need to be asked twice and passed him, pushing Diego back to 5^th place, the position he held to the finish line. Giacomo got into a rhythm and made up places to take the chequered flag in 9^th place.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Race One (30 minutes)

Saturday, 01/10/2016, 12.00, Weather: Sunny, 20°C

The track had dried off enough for all drivers to opt for slick tyres. However, there were a few places where it was still slippery and they needed to watch out for that. Job started well and gained positions, setting a very good pace. He was soon in the top ten and managed to move up from 12^th to 7^th place. Fabio was not far behind him to start with and was already in 10^th place when he and Esmeijer went into a corner side by side. Unfortunately they tangled and both lost several places. Fabio crossed the finish line in 23^rd place as a result. Kevin, who was also heading for the top ten, was completely out of luck. Correa missed his braking point and shot straight into Kevin’s sidepod. Both spun off track and could only manage to limp back to the pit lane with damaged cars, a real shame. Diego started 26^th position and was making massive progress up the order. It didn’t take him long to battle his way into the top 20, and he just kept on overtaking to reach the finish in a very good 15^th place! Giacomo was on an equally good run and made up exactly the number of places as Diego, crossing the line in a good 19^th place.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Race Two (30 minutes)

Saturday, 01/10/2016, 15.35, Weather: Rain, 15°C

The race started with all the drivers on slick tyres, but soon rain began falling, and after two laps the race director red-flagged the race. The cars all stopped on the grid and most drivers changed to rain tyres. Because we counted on the remaining race time being between 20 and 25 minutes, Job and Fabio decided on a poker game and opted to stay on slicks. The Safety Car led the field for two laps and then we realized that the clock had not been stopped and there were only six minutes left of the race once the Safety Car came in. Soon there were several new incidents and the Safety Car was redeployed immediately. After two further laps behind the Safety Car is was only necessary to cross the finish line after it came back in. Job was 13^th in the end while Fabio and Kevin were innocent bystanders involved in an incident. Diego crossed the finish line in 22^nd position and Giacomo was right behind him in 23^rd place. In total seven laps had been driven and the rain had stopped.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Race Three (30 minutes)

Sunday, 02/10/2016, 15.00, Weather: Cloudy, 20°C

The sun was shining again as the large field took to the track one last time. Job made a good start and came back in 6^th place after the first lap. Diego, who had started from 15^th, appeared in the pit lane with a flat tyre after tangling with another driver. The tyre was changed and Diego was sent back out to finish the race. Fabio started very well and was already 19^th, while Giacomo, who had started from 19^th, reappeared in 36^th place after a very eventful first lap! Kevin made up several places and was 24^th but then there was an accident and the Safety Car had to take over the field. The restart was given after two laps, but a few laps later there was another incident, and the Safety Car was deployed again. In the end there was enough time left for a one lap sprint to the line. Job was in an excellent 6^th place after a battle for the position and he came home safely in that position. Diego and Giacomo had moved up place by place in the meantime with Diego finishing the race in 28^th place just in front of Giacomo, who finished 29^th. Kevin took the chequered flag in 31^st and Fabio, who was unable to avoid a crash on the very last lap, was classified in 33^rd place.

The 2^nd season of the ADAC Formel 4 reached its conclusion. Australian Joey Mawson was crowned champion, with Mick Schumacher 2^nd and Mike Ortmann 3^rd.

We are already looking forward to the next season.

Championship Final Standings

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German 2016 after 24 races:
1^st Joey Mawson (AUS), 374 points; 2^nd Mick Schumacher, 322 points; 3^rd Mike Ortmann (D), 247 points; 4^th Thomas Preining (A), 180.5 points; 5^th Kim Luis Schramm (D), 176 points; 6^th Juri Vips (EST), 138 points; 17^th Fabio Scherer (CH), 26 points; 20^th Job van Uitert (NL), 19 points; 24^th Jan-Erik Meikup (EST), 6 points

2016 FIA ADAC FORMEL 4 GERMAN CHAMPIONSHIP - CALENDAR

More info:

• www.adac-motorsport.de/adac-formel-4/de/