Nürburgring: Tales from the paddock

• Alessio Picariello becomes Formel ADAC champion at season half-way point
• Maximilian Günther, fifth youngest pole-setter ever in the junior racing series
• Schiller Motorsport serves up something special at home race

Nürburgring – The fourth race weekend of the 2013 season saw Formel ADAC drivers racing at the Nürburgring from 2nd to 4th August. 15,000 spectators at the ADAC GT Masters watched three exciting races during the weekend and witnessed history in the making.

Picariello becomes champion half-way through the season: After victories six and seven at the Nürburgring, Mücke Motorsport driver Alessio Picariello leads the Formel ADAC overall standings on 202 points. The young Belgian rounded off his successful weekend with a podium finish in the third race. A good omen: Picariello has now achieved seven victories in the first twelve races of the season. So far, that feat has been achieved by: Daniel Abt in 2009, Richie Stanaway in 2010 and Pascal Wehrlein in 2011. All have one thing in common: they went on to secure the championship at the end of the season. “I’m very pleased to be in this position at the half-way stage. But the championship fight is not over just yet, as we have only had four race weekends so far and I have to keep up the pressure,” said Picariello modestly.

Perfectly attuned at the Red Bull Ring: The Nürburgring and Nicolas Beer – in perfect harmony. The Neuhauser Racing driver contested his first Formel ADAC race in the Eifel in the 2012 season and finished in the points straightaway. A year later, the Danish youngster crowned his nascent career with his first victory in the ADAC’s high speed academy at the same venue. Marvin Dienst secured second place in the third race in the Eifel, giving the Austrian team a double success. So, Neuhauser Racing are well prepared for their upcoming home race at the Red Bull Ring (9th-11th August). Beer is aiming to achieve the next highlight in his young career at Spielberg: “I aim to fight for my next victory at the Red Bull Ring and hopefully present the team with a nice podium finish at our home race.”

Günther makes history: ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Maximilian Günther rounded off the first half of the season perfectly during the weekend at the Nürburgring. The rookie driver made Formel ADAC history in the Eifel with his double pole: Günther, aged 16 years, one month and one day is the fifth-youngest pole-setter in the history of the junior series. Achieving two podium finishes and a P4, the Mücke Motorsport driver secured 40 points in the Eifel, making Günther the hottest driver in the championship standings after overall leader Alessio Picariello and best rookie this season.

Schiller Motorsport contest their home race: The Nürburgring weekend was a home race for Schiller Motorsport from nearby Siegburg. Many friends, fans and sponsors came to the Eifel to wish the team luck. Team principal Hardy Schiller had something special in store for his guests: they could take a leisurely look at a picture gallery in the team’s tent chronicling the team’s long history, plus, as an added bonus, Schiller provided cans of energy drink featuring the team’s logo. What a welcome treat on a hot weekend!

Quick on two wheels and four: Nicolas Beer has a real eye-catching machine to use in the paddock: A bike in the colours of his Formel ADAC racing car powered by Volkswagen complete with stickers. “My father saw the yellow bike and thought that it was pretty cool as it’s the same colour as my car,” said the Neuhauser Racing driver. “So he bought it, stuck on the team stickers and presented me with it. It was a really great surprise, but driving in a single-seater racing car is even more fun, for sure!”