Race Report

FIA ADAC FORMULA 4
GERMAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 04/05/06

Circuit: Spa-Francorchamps (B), Length 7.003 km, 19^th/20^th/21^st June 2015
www.spa-francorchamps.be

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2015:
Moritz Müller-Crepon (CH), David Kolkmann (D), Marek Böckmann (D) and Arlind Hoti (D)

Boeckmann claims first points at Spa

The third of eight race events featuring the FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship was held at the legendary circuit of Spa-Francorchamps (B). There were 39 drivers ready to start with plenty of expectations. The races can be followed live on Sport1 tv and on the official website under Live Streaming.

Qualifying

Friday, 19/06/2015, 17.25 – 18.10, Weather: Rain, 10°C

The series regulations stipulate that the enormous field must be split into two groups, each of which has a 20 minute qualifying session. The fastest lap time per driver is used to set 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 so the winner of Race One starts from 10^th, the 2^nd placed driver starts 9^th, and so on.
After only one free practice in changing conditions we were straight into qualifying. All our drivers were in the second group. The track was dry after showers during the day and stayed dry during the first session but just as the second group got ready to go out rain started to fall and the tyres had to be changed to wets very quickly.
Our drivers did their best in these difficult conditions. Marek had just set the fastest lap time of the session when it was red flagged because of an accident. During the break the track dried off a bit and Marek then set the 5^th fastest time after a spin during the remaining five minutes of the session. David, Arlind and Moritz were placed consecutively in 13^th, 14^th and 15^th. Taking their respective second fastest lap times Arlind was well placed in 10^th, Marek was 11^th, David 12^th and Moritz once more 15^th.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Race One (30 minutes)

Saturday, 20/06/2015, 14.50, Weather: Overcast, 12°C

The race started after a long morning’s wait and under threateningly dark clouds. Luckily the weather stayed dry, but there were still several incidents on the first lap, and the Safety Car had to be deployed. Marek was then 9^th, Moritz 22^nd, David 24^th and Arlind 28^th. At the restart Newey managed to pass Marek, which put Marek 10^th. Later Newey made a mistake and fell off, but Maggi took the opportunity and shot past Marek which meant he was still 10^th. The Safety Car had to take control of the field once again. At the restart a single racing lap remained. Everybody was keen to make up places and Marek got passed by two other drivers and finally crossed the finish line in 11^th place. Arlind lost a place at the start and it took him some time to get going. He then improved steadily from 28^th to 20^th during the race. Moritz started well and got up as far as 16^th but then he had an off track moment and lost several places. He moved up again, then fell back again and took the chequered flag in 24^th. David was up to 21^st but at the restart he had to take avoiding action and dropped back to 30^th. He again set about recovering and finally crossed the line in 26^th.
After the race Waldherr was awarded a time penalty for cutting the chicane and passing Marek as a result. That moved Marek back up to 10^th, which meant he was on pole position for race three.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Race Two (30 minutes)

Sunday, 21/06/2015, 13.30, Weather: Rain, 9°C

The weather continued cool and rainy on Sunday and there was a heavy shower just before the race, though it eased as they lined up on the grid. It was pretty clear that rain tyres were needed for this race. Marek started from 21^st and was 11^th at the end of the first lap. Arlind, who started 19^th, was hit up the rear at the first corner and spun. Luckily everyone else managed to avoid him and he rejoined the race in 31^st. David got away well and climbed from 24^th to 18^th place. Moritz was also able to improve from 30^th to 27^th. However the Safety Car had to be deployed almost immediately to enable a car to be rescued from a dangerous place. At the restart Marek managed to get past Beckmann, and later passed Drudi as well. That put him 9^th and as he was in the top ten he would score points if he could stay there. He held his ground for the remainder of the race to claim the place at the flag. David was 21st for ages after the restart but then another driver hit him from behind at La Source and spun him around. He was able to rejoin but back in 30^th, and that was where he finished the race three laps later. Moritz improved from 27^th to 25^th, and then managed to improve to 22^nd at the restart. He managed to hang on to the place for the last few laps. Arlind battled his way back from 31^st to 24^th and then charged through to 19^th after the restart. However he then failed to notice the drying track and the fact that he could have driven much faster. As a result he lost places over the last few laps and crissed the finish line in 27^th.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Race Three (30 minutes)

Sunday, 21/06/2015, 17.05, Weather: Sunny, 12°C

Marek made a good start from pole position and took the lead initially. The track was dry, and he managed to stay in the lead for two long laps but then the usual front runners started to pile pressure on him. Norris soon took the lead, and two laps later Mawson also found a way past. On laps seven and eight Marek drove well in 5^th place, having been passed by Eriksson and Shwarztman. There followed another Safety Car period, and again there was just one lap left at the restart. Marek completely failed to restart properly, made contact with another car, spun and finally made it to the finish line in 26^th, which was a shame. Moritz started well and worked his way up the order lap after lap. He was up to a decent 14^th place when the Safety Car came out. At the restart he was very close to the car in front of him and lost momentum going uphill. Some of the other drivers took the opportunity to pass which meant he ended up 18^th at the flag. Arlind did well and was already 18^th at the restart but then he went into one of the corners too fast which led to a spin, costing him several places and putting him 23^rd at the flag. David had fought his way forward and had gone from 28^th to 22^nd. At the restart he was taken by surprise by Ortmann and Van Uitert, and crossed the finish line in 24^th.

The next race meeting in the ADAC Formula 4 series takes place in 2 weeks’ time, on the weekend of 5^th July 2015 at the Lausitzring (D).

Championship Standings

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German 2015 after 9 races out of 24:
1^st Joel Eriksson (SWE), 126 points; 2^nd Joseph Mawson (AUS), 98 points; 3^rd Ralf Aron (EST), 83 points; 4^th Marvin Dienst (D), 81 points; 5^th Lando Norris (GB), 55 points; 6^th Janneau Esmeijer (NL), 54 points; 20^th Lucas Mauron (CH), 4 points; 21^st Marek Böckmann (D), 3 points

2015 FIA ADAC FORMEL 4 GERMAN CHAMPIONSHIP - AGENDA

More info:

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