Alessio Picariello wins on Saturday at Red Bull Ring

• Eighth victory in 13th race for championship leader Alessio Picariello
• Nicolas Beer secures podium for Austrian team Neuhauser Racing
• Best result of season for local favourite Stefan Riener

Spielberg – Alessio Picariello (19, Belgium, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) continues his winning streak in the second half of the Formel ADAC 2013 season. The championship leader achieved his eighth win in the thirteenth race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. “Achieving this victory was far from easy, so I’m really pleased about it,” said the Belgian, who won a race last year in Styria.

Picariello started from second on the grid, taking the lead from pole-setter Maximilian Günther (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) on the third lap with a skilful manoeuvre in the Remus turn. The Belgian driver had to defend his position right up to the end, crossing the finish line 0.642 seconds up on Jason Kremer (18, Germany, Schiller Motorsport). The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé produced a superb performance, as he picked his way up the field from fifth on the grid to his fifth podium finish of the season.

Gripping battle for top places

A spectacular three-way scrap erupted behind the winner Picariello two-thirds of the way through the race, involving Kremer, ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Günther and Nicolas Beer (17, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing). Beer, who is contesting a home race for his team, Neuhauser Racing, caught Günther unaware in the Remus turn on the twelfth lap and went on to achieve his sixth podium finish.

Local driver Stefan Riener (18, Austria, Neuhauser Racing) came home in fifth place behind Günther in P4. The Neuhauser Racing driver achieved his best result so far in Formel ADAC. Riener began the race in seventh position on the grid and skilfully avoided collisions between drivers in front of him and was rewarded for his driving style in the end. Team-mate Marvin Dienst (16, Germany, Neuhauser Racing) placed seventh behind Indy Dontje (20, Netherlands, Lotus), producing a decent result for his team, Neuhauser Racing. Dienst had been in fifth place for quite a time but dropped back after a collision with Mikkel Jensen (18, Denmark, Lotus).

Red Bull junior O'Keeffe in the points

Kim Luis Schramm (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) finished eighth, achieving his best result in his first year as a driver in the ADAC’s high-speed academy. Benedikt Gentgen (15, Germany, JBR Motorsport & Engineering) in P10 secured his first championship point.

Callan O'Keeffe (17, South Africa, Lotus) slotted in between the two rookie drivers in ninth place. The South African driver has been part of Red Bull’s junior squad for the last two years and is keen to impress with good results in the home of Red Bulls company headquarters. Beitske Visser (18, Netherlands, Lotus), who has also been a member of Red Bull's talent factory since the beginning of this season, ended her first race at Spielberg rather unfortunately. The most successful female Formel ADAC driver ever got away well from grid position six but was forced to exit the race prematurely after a collision with Ralph Boschung (15, Switzerland KUG Motorsport).

Neuhauser Racing driver Beer: Second in championship

Picariello continues to lead the overall standings after the first 13 races of the year. The Belgian driver still tops the table, having secured eight wins and 227 points. A fierce battle for points is taking place behind him: Beer overtook Günther and is second on 138 points. However, he is only two points in front of Günther in third place.

Günther will be on pole in the second race on Sunday morning at 09:10am (live stream available: www.adac.de/motorsport). He shares the front row for the fourth time this season with team-mate Picariello. Kremer and Dienst are in grid positions three and four for the start of the fourteenth race of the season.

Comments from the Top Three drivers

Alessio Picariello (19, Belgium, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.), Winner:
“Achieving this victory was far from easy, so I’m really pleased about it. I kept pace with Maximilian Günther initially but decided not to overtake him straightaway. I went into the lead after a few laps and then had Jason Kremer to my rear. Each time that I increased my lead by a small amount, he kept coming up behind me in the slipstream going into Turn Two. A small problem with the brakes caused me additional problems in the race. My front wheels locked and I slid forwards a little. But I feel quite optimistic about the next race because our pace was very good and I’m sure that we will solve these minor problems.”

Jason Kremer (18, Germany, Schiller Motorsport), Second:
“I’m pretty happy with second place. Straight after the start, I took things a little slower on the first turn so as to be in a better position on exiting. It went perfectly and I was third. A win was within reach once I had overtaken Maximilian Günther. Alessio Picariello was faster than me on the second sector, but I kept closing the gap on other parts of the track. Overtaking recklessly would’ve been far too risky, considering my position in the overall standings, but I’m now that bit closer to the top of the championship table with this result. I’ll try to make up even more ground on Sunday with a win.”

Nicolas Beer (17, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing), Third:
“That really was a perfect race and I’m extremely happy about my podium. I got away to a good start and my car had remarkable speed – many thanks to my team for their hard work. In the race, I fell a bit back behind third place because stones on the track caused me to lose my rhythm. But when I realised Maximilian Günther was just ahead of me, I felt sure I could overtake him, which is exactly what I did. Second place would have been possible but would have entailed running a much higher risk. However, securing safe points in the championship take precedence as far as I’m concerned. I'm now second again in the overall standings and hope to secure even more vital points in my team’s home race.”