- Alessio Picariello wins first of three races at etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
- Hendrik Grapp in second place: double success for Berlin-based Mücke Motorsport
- ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Maximilian Günther best newcomer
- Picariello: „The season could hardly have begun better for me.“
Oschersleben – Race 1
Date: 27 April 2013
Race: 01/24
Weather: Overcast, 7°C
Circuit length: 3.696 km
Pole: Alessio Picariello
Laps: 15
Winner: Alessio Picariello
Fastest lap: Florian Herzog (1:39.002)
Oschersleben – We have our first Formel ADAC winner of the 2013 season: Alessio Picariello (19, Belgium, Mücke Motorsport) achieved a comfortable win at the season-opener in the etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. The young Belgian driver won the first of three races at Oschersleben with a lead of 16.045 seconds on team-mate Hendrik Grapp (19, Germany, Mücke Motorsport). Nicolas Beer (17, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing) finished in third place on the podium behind the two drivers from Berlin-based racing team, Mücke Motorsport.
„The season could hardly have begun better for me. I got off the line very well from pole position, drawing away immediately from the competition and extending my lead with every lap,“ said a happy Picariello after his third overall victory in the junior series. Perhaps a good omen for the Belgian driver: in the last two years, the winner of the first race at the Oschersleben season-opener has finished the season as champion.
Picariello in pole position quickly drew away from the rest of the field, taking a comfortable win. Jason Kremer (18, Germany, Schiller Motorsport) started the race in second place but made a mistake during the first lap that caused him to drop well back. Maximilian Günther (15, Germany, Mücke Motorsport) in third place on the grid got off to a poor start, which benefited both his pursuers, Grapp and Beer who quickly moved up to take second and third place respectively.
Günther, an ADAC Sports Foundation protégé, went on a spectacular charge after his poor start and in the remaining laps of the race fought his way back up into fourth place. After scrapping for position with Indy Dontje (20, Netherlands, Lotus), Günther had to finally let him through on the last lap. Nevertheless, Günther secured fifth place, the best result of the 13 Formel ADAC rookies competing in the season-opener at Oschersleben.
Florian Herzog (19, Germany, KUG Motorsport) finished sixth, but was handed a 30-second penalty after the race for achieving a sector best time while the yellow flag was out. He was relegated to 13th position. Callan O'Keeffe (16, RSA, Lotus), the first South African in the history of the junior series, thereby moved up a place into P6. Marvin Dienst (16, Germany, Neuhauser Racing), Red Bull junior Beitske Visser (18, Netherlands, Lotus), Stefan Riener (17, Austria, Neuhauser Racing) and Ralph Boschung (15, Switzerland, KUG Motorsport) took the remaining points-scoring positions.
Comments from the Top Three drivers
Alessio Picariello (19, Belgium, Mücke Motorsport), Winner:
„The season could hardly have begun better for me. I got off the line very well from pole position, drawing away immediately from the competition and extending my lead with every lap. Conditions were very difficult in the race, but that’s how I like it. As the track slowly dried, it got even trickier – my favourite conditions. However, I had to watch out on the final three laps and nurse my wet weather tyres.“
Hendrik Grapp (19, Germany, Mücke Motorsport), Second:
„I am very pleased to finish on the podium in my home race. After starting from fourth position on the grid, second place is an excellent result for me. It was impossible to stay in contact with Alessio Picariello – his performance today was perfect. The conditions made the race quite tricky. At the start of the race, the track was still wet and ideal for wets, but half-way through, the track dried out. Then it was crucially important to protect the tyres and the engine from overheating.“
Nicolas Beer (17, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing), Third:
„It's an indescribable feeling standing on the podium. I’ve been really looking forward to the start of the season all winter but never expected it to begin so incredibly well. I got away just great at the start and moved up the field right away. As the track slowly began to dry out, my competitors kept closing on me. I had to take a different line and pushed myself to the limit – luckily I was able to defend my position and achieve my first podium finish in the Formel ADAC. I'm over the moon about it.“