ADAC Formel 4·1.11.2020

Crawford back in title fight: American driver reduces deficit to eleven points

Jak Crawford made an impressive comeback in the fight for the title with his third victory of the season in the ADAC Formula 4. Driving for Van Amersfoort Racing, he won the second round of the weekend at the DEKRA Lausitzring and reduced the gap in the overall standings on team-mate Jonny Edgar to eleven points. British driver Edgar went on an impressive charge and finished seventh from last place on the grid after pitting following a contact with Crawford. Edgar will be in second place on the grid in Race 3 at 12:30 CET.

“That was a very important victory for me, especially with regard to next weekend, because you can never really know at this moment in time just what’s going to happen,” said Crawford. “Scoring as many points as possible is crucial right now.” Pole-sitter Kirill Smal defended his lead from Crawford and Tim Tramnitz off the line. Edgar got away to a speedy start, working his way up into eighth place as they travelled through the first few corners. Race 2 was action-packed just like the first race on Saturday had been. Victor Bernier was forced to pit with damage to his front wing after a contact while Oliver Bearman also dropped back after an unscheduled pit stop. Elias Seppänen made an unsuccessful overtaking manoeuvre on his US racing team-mate Tramnitz and had to park up as a result.

Meanwhile, Edgar was literally flying as he picked his way up through the field, gaining a whole series of positions. Soon, he was right behind Crawford before both of them passed Smal in the lead in the space of a couple of turns. Edgar then tried to attack Crawford but grazed his team-mate’s car with his front wing and had to return to the pits. And so, 16-year-old Edgar fell far behind the rest of the field, but a safety car period triggered when Saturday’s winner Vladislav Lomko spun enabled him to re-establish the connection with the others. Crawford asserted his lead on the restart and managed the final laps with ease. To his rear, Tramnitz made a strong move on Smal which he made stick shortly before the end, resulting in P2 for the ADAC Sports Foundation’s protégé. Smal was third.

Germany’s Joshua Dürksen crossed the finish line just behind Smal in fourth ahead of Bernier and Bearman. Edgar was able to gain a few places after the restart and finished seventh. The Israeli Roee Meyuhas took eighth place and secured pole position for the third round. Team-mates Erick Zuniga and Josef Knopp from ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg eV took the remaining points-scoring positions.