Indy Dontje wins Race 3 at Red Bull Ring

• Second win of season for Indy Dontje after race is stopped
• Series newcomers Maximilian Günther and Kim Luis Schramm secure podiums
• Red Bull junior Beitske Visser loses podium after the event
• Local favourite Stefan Riener has his most successful race weekend so far

Spielberg – The third Formel ADAC race at the Red Bull Ring ended in an unusual manner. Race stewards decided to stop the race on the twelfth lap with just two minutes to go to the official conclusion of the event after 25 minutes. The reason: a collision involving several drivers in the Schlossgold turn. The race was won by Indy Dontje (20, Netherlands, Lotus). “After the race, I sat in my car on the start/finish straight and had no idea what had happened at first. Only when I saw my cheering team did I realise that I had won the race,” said the Lotus driver after his second win of the season.

After the race was stopped, the official race result was worked out on the basis of positions held during the eleventh lap. Lotus team-mate Beitske Visser (18, Netherlands, Lotus) crossed the finish line in second place behind Dontje, the winner, followed by Kim Luis Schramm (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.). However, the Red Bull junior was handed a drive-through penalty after the race which was subsequently converted into a 30-second penalty. As a result, Visser dropped to the rear of the field. The race stewards held Visser responsible for the collision that led to the race being stopped. The Dutch teenager crashed into Schramm who then unwittingly forced his team-mate Maximilian Günther (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) into the gravel.

Rookie Schramm on podium for first time

Schramm placed second to secure his first podium finish in his debut year in Formel ADAC. After Visser was handed a penalty, ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Günther was bumped up into third place and finished on the podium for the second time this weekend and for the eighth time in all this season.

In a home race for his team Neuhauser Racing, Nicolas Beer (17, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing) moved up the field six places from P10 to finish in P4, thus securing valuable championship points. In a very closely fought race, pole-setter Fabian Schiller (16, Germany, Schiller Motorsport) led until the seventh lap until he suddenly fell back to sixth position. He moved up into fifth place, though, as a result of Visser being relegated to the rear of the field and secured his best result so far in ADAC’s high-speed academy.

Successful race weekend for local driver Riener

The two Neuhauser Racing drivers Marvin Dienst (16, Germany, Neuhauser Racing) and Stefan Riener (18, Austria, Neuhauser Racing) kept out of all incidents and were rewarded with positions six and seven. For the first time, local favourite Riener finished in the Top Ten in all three races in a single weekend at the Red Bull Ring, securing more points than in all of the previous twelve races this season put together.

Jason Kremer (18, Germany, Schiller Motorsport) finished ninth behind Ralph Boschung (15, Switzerland, KUG Motorsport). The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé collided with Alessio Picariello (19, Belgium, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) on the first lap, which led to the early retirement of the winner of the first two races at the Red Bull Ring and a safety car period.

Despite not finishing, Picariello still heads the championship standings and travels as overall leader to the sixth race weekend of the year at the Lausitzring (30th August-1st September). After nine wins from 15 races so far, the Belgian tops the table on 252 points. Team-mate Günther is in second place on 162 points, followed by Beer, who has secured 146 points.

Comments from the Top Three drivers

Indy Dontje (20, Netherlands, Lotus), Winner:
“That was one of the most spectacular races of my career in single-seater racing. After the race, I sat in my car on the start/finish straight and had no idea what had happened at first. Only when I saw my cheering team did I realise that I had won the race. I want to dedicate this win to the crew at Lotus who have worked so very hard to achieve this result. This success here at the Red Bull Ring is, hopefully, the first of many more to come in Formel ADAC.”

Kim-Luis Schramm (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.), Second:
“My first podium finish in the Formel ADAC. It’s just an incredible feeling to achieve a podium. It was a hard-fought race and difficult to describe in words. At times, cars were running through turns four abreast. Unfortunately, I didn’t get away well after the first re-start, but my second attempt was much better. I attacked but had to keep an ever-watchful eye on the competition behind me. I want to say a big thank you to my team. We improved consistently over the course of the weekend and were rewarded with a great result.”

Maximilian Günther (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.), Third:
“That was some crazy race, but I’m very happy with my third place. Fortunately, I managed to avoid the scraps at the start and closed on the drivers in front of me. The race was full of battles for position with drivers first going up the field and then back down. In retrospect, it was a very successful weekend for me, since I secured two pole positions and podiums. Also, I was really close to achieving my first win. I’ve never been that close before. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, but I still managed to secure valuable championship points, so a really successful weekend.”