ADAC Formel 4 

ADAC Formel 4·17.8.2020

Tales from the Nürburgring paddock: Dürksen celebrates maiden victory - successful return for Prema

Maiden win: Joshua Dürksen was ecstatic after celebrating his first ever ADAC Formula 4 victory in Sunday's race in the Eifel where he finished a full eight seconds up on Crawford. "I feel terrific," said Dürksen. "I've actually been waiting many months for this and have worked really hard for it. I got off to a good start and then kept pushing, just as we had planned to. But I also wanted to manage the tyres properly. I'm just so happy."

VIP newcomer: A famous name appeared for the first time this season on the entry lists for the ADAC Formula 4. Sebastian Montoya, the 15-year-old son of ex-Formula 1 driver and two-time Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya, lined up for Prema Powerteam, who were back in action. His famous father came with him to the Eifel and gave him some valuable advice. In the two races on Saturday, Montoya Junior finished eighth twice, and so, was on pole in Sunday's round. He had a tough race and had to settle for twelfth place in the end.

Strong debut: Mini by name but not by nature! Gabriele Mini made a superb debut on his first weekend in the ADAC Formula 4. The 16-year-old Italian from Prema Powerteam took his maiden win on Saturday and followed that up with two third places, ensuring that he was Best Rookie in all three races. As a result, he was able to move into second place behind Tim Tramnitz in the Junior classification from a standing start. Earlier on Friday, Mini had also managed to secure the newly introduced Pirelli Pole Position Award for Race 1.

Comeback: Mini's success put the icing on the cake for Prema Powerteam on their return to the ADAC High-Speed Academy. The Italian outfit is part and parcel of the series but had to miss the Lausitzring season opener. Still, they have now made a brilliant comeback in the Eifel. Their race win on Saturday was the team's 18th success since records began in the ADAC Formula 4 and probably not their last!

Title fight: After these initial two out of seven race weekends, a battle for the championship title has already begun to develop. Jonny Edgar had another good showing at the circuit in the shadows of the Nürburg. After taking his third win of the season on Saturday and two strong performances from eighth place on the grid, the 16-year-old has become the favourite to win the championship. 16-year-old Elias Seppänen from Finland is his main rival. The US Racing driver won the third race at the Lausitzring and proved his ability to consistently score points at the Nürburgring. P3, P2, P4 - consistency is the ace in Seppänen's pack. He defeated Edgar in a straight fight during Race 3 on Sunday. The upcoming races should be very exciting!

Pipped at the post: Sitting in his cockpit, 15-year-old British driver Oliver Bearman was probably already savouring his trophy, but it was not to be. It really looked like he would finish the weekend's first race in P3 until a technical problem over the last few corners shattered all his dreams of a maiden podium. The only thing left for him was the bitter realisation that it's not over until it's over - once you've crossed the finish line! Again on Sunday, Bearman stayed with the leading group for much of the race before finally dropping back to tenth place. However, his first podium should be only a matter of time.