Race Report

FIA ADAC FORMULA 4
GERMAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 16/17/18

Circuit: Sachsenring (D), Length 3.645 km, 28^th/29^th/30^th August 2015
www.sachsenring-circuit.com

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

Best performance from Kolkmann at the Sachsenring

The fifth of eight race events featuring the German FIA ADAC Formula 4 Championship was held on the demanding Sachsenring (D). There were 31 drivers signed on to start so there were plenty of expectations. The races can be followed live on Sport1 tv and on the official website under Live Streaming.

Qualifying

Friday, 28/08/2015, 15.35 – 16.20, Weather: Rain, 16°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 for each 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 from 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.
Marek, Nico and Moritz all ran in Group A. Rain had been falling throughout the day, but by the time the session started it had nearly stopped. However, the track was still very wet and the 20 minutes were interrupted three times by red flags, and after each restart there were only a few laps available in which to get into a rhythm and set a good lap time. Marek achieved 4^th and 6^th place, Nico 9^th and 7^th, and Moritz, who went off track a few times, was 11^th twice.
David was in group B. Conditions hadn’t changed much at the beginning of the session, but after a longer than average red flag stoppage, the track slowly started to dry off a bit and so the fastest lap times were set at the end of the session. David managed to keep going and was able to improve as towards the end. He claimed 10^th and 11^th in his group.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Race One (30 minutes)

Saturday, 29/08/2015, 12.00, Weather: Sunny, 23°C

The race was started in warm sunshine and in front of a huge crowd. Marek got away well and held onto 8^th place, and when Beckmann made a mistake and dropped back that moved Marek up to 7^th. He now had Schramm ahead of him and so he started to plan his attack. However he ended up running wide and spun, landing up in the gravel which unfortunately put an end to his race. It also meant the Safety Car had to be deployed while his car was rescued. Nico was also in difficulties, though he made it back to the pits under his own power. Shortly after the start he tangled with another car and his front wing was damaged, part of it getting wedged under his car. It was so firmly stuck that the team could not repair the damage in the pit lane. That meant Nico was also out of the race. Moritz made a decent start and was 17^th, while David ran onto the grass after the start and lost a handful of places, but was able to move up the order again to 22^nd. The Safety Car then had to be deployed a second time as another car needed moving to safety. At the restart Moritz moved up to 15^th and David appeared in 19^th place. Both were having a good run and moved up the order steadily. When, shortly before the end, Esmeijer and Shwarzmann collided and the Safety Car was deployed for a 3^rd time, Moritz was 13^th and David 15^th. The race was not restarted and the last two minutes of the race were run behind the Safety Car so the result did not change.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Race Two (30 minutes)

Saturday, 29/08/2015, 15.45, Weather: Sunny, 25°C

The race started after a long delay. The field took off, but only got as far as turn two before there was an accident when Esmeijer attempted to overtake Marek on the kerb and found it didn’t work. He rammed Marek in the side, and the pair of them took Schumacher with them. The Safety Car was deployed and brought the field back to the grid for a complete restart, which was achieved behind the Safety Car. Nico, who was in 14^th, soon noticed a loss of performance from his engine and drove back to the pitlane, his promising race ending prematurely again. Moritz was already up to 13th^thwhen he ran wide and several cars passed him on the inside. He ended up right behind David, who had worked his way up from 19^th to 16^th. Shortly before the end the Safety Car had to be deployed again and when the race restarted there were just 6 minutes time left on the clock. Moritz decided to launch an attack, and was able to overtake his team-mate and Maggi in one move. David managed to follow suit, and to get past Maggi as well, which meant that Moritz crossed the finish line in 15^th and David in 16^th.

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German Championship

Race Three (30 minutes)

Sunday, 30/08/2015, 16.15, Weather: Sunny, 37°C

The race was started after an interminable wait in tremendous heat. Marek only managed a few corners before he was involved in an accident yet again. Niederhauser spun, Jonck shot across in the same direction and Marek was caught in between. He was hit hard and was out of the race with considerable damage, stranded in the gravel trap along with the other two. The Safety Car was deployed for the first time. Immediately after the restart there was another accident and the Safety Car reappeared immediately. Moritz moved up to 8th place but then a car in front of him shot across the grass, forcing Moritz to go wide and rattle through the gravel. He was able to slot in again in 23^rd, but of course a possible top ten place was now history. The next accident happened, when Nico tried to overtake Shwartzmann and Shwartzmann didn’t cooperate, hitting Nico in the side. The next pictures showed Nico parked in the gravel. David was the only one who was not involved in any accidents and stayed well clear of all the mayhem. He kept pace very well, concentrating and ready to react if necessary, and made no mistakes. He also managed a third restart without losing a place after a third Safety Car phase. He brought in home in a very good 13^th place.

The next race meeting in the ADAC Formula 4 series takes place in 2 weeks’ time, on the weekend of 13^th September 2015 as part of the DTM program at Oschersleben (D).

Championship Standings

FIA ADAC Formula 4 German 2015 after 18 races out of 24:
1^st Marvin Dienst (D), 262 points; 2^nd Joel Eriksson (SWE), 228 points; 3^rd Joseph Mawson (AUS), 225 points; 4^th Robert Shwarzman (RUS), 142 points; 5^th Ralf Aron (EST), 120 points; 6^th Janneau Esmeijer (NL), 116 points; 21^st Marek Böckmann (D), 9 points; 23^rd Lucas Mauron (CH), 4 points

2015 FIA ADAC FORMEL 4 GERMAN CHAMPIONSHIP - AGENDA

More info:

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