Tales from the Slovakia Ring paddock

• Alessio Picariello breaks record on way to title
• Two young ladies shake up Formel ADAC
• Rookie power at Slovakian premiere

Slovakia Ring – For the first time, the Slovakia Ring hosted Formel ADAC, as the seventh race weekend of 2013 got under way (from the 13th to the 15th of September). At one of Europe’s longest race tracks, spectators watched three thrilling races in the ADAC High-Speed academy and saw Alessio Picariello clinch the championship before season’s end.

Successful premiere: 8,200 spectators attended the successful Formel ADAC premiere last weekend in Slovakia. The Slovakia Ring is the sixth different venue close to Germany where the junior series has guested during its six-year history. Previous events on the calendar have taken place in Assen (Netherlands, 2008), Zolder (Belgium, 2011), Spielberg (Austria, 2011), Zandvoort (2012) and Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium, 2013). This year, the Formel youngsters were able to gain experience for the first time at three different foreign tracks: Spa-Francorchamps, the Red Bull Ring and the Slovakia Ring.

Championship joy I: Alessio Picariello has done it! The young Belgian secured the Formel ADAC championship title before season’s end during the penultimate weekend of the season at the Slovakia Ring. A second place was enough for success, as title rival Maximilian Günther dropped out on the very first lap. Picariello is the only champion in the junior series to lead the standings from the first race of the season. On his way to the title, he achieved: ten victories, fourteen podiums, four pole positions and sixteen fastest laps. The 20-year-old also made history in the first race at the Slovakia Ring. After 2010 champion Richie Stanaway, Picariello is the most successful driver ever in the ADAC’s High-Speed academy with 12 Formel ADAC wins to his credit.

Girl power: The only two ladies participating in Formel ADAC, Beitske Visser and Stéphane Kox did not let their male opponents intimidate them. Red Bull junior Visser especially turned up the heat after a tough qualifying. She achieved P5 in both races after making brilliant charges up the field and gaining a total of fifteen places into the bargain. Starting in fourth place in Race 3, the most successful female driver in Formel ADAC history finished on the podium – her second of the season after her victory at the Sachsenring. Fellow Dutch teenager Stéphane Kox, daughter of former ADAC GT Masters champion Peter Kox was also very impressive. She secured the best results of her debut season with two P8s; she started from pole position for the first time in Race 3.

Championship joy II: Picariello’s team, Mücke Motorsport, also had good reason to celebrate in Slovakia. The Berlin-based team secured the team championship title before season’s end in the second race. The well-established outfit is one of Formel ADAC’s founding members, and has participated in the series since its inception in 2008. The squad, led by team boss Peter Mücke, has won the team trophy for the first time this year. So far, Picariello, Maximilian Günther, Hendrik Grapp, Kim Luis Schramm and Giorgio Maggi have secured 13 wins, 28 podiums, 10 pole positions and 9 fastest laps during the 2013 season.

Young guns cause a stir: Ralph Boschung took his maiden win in Formel ADAC at the Slovakia Ring and is the third youngest winner in the history of the series. On achieving his success in Race 3 on Sunday afternoon, the Swiss driver was exactly 15 years, 11 months and 23 days old. Only Pascal Wehrlein (15 years, 6 months, 21 days) and Willi Steindl (15 years, 8 months, 21 days) were younger. Another youngster was also very impressive in Slovakia: Marvin Dienst (16 years, 6 months, 22 days) secured his debut win in Race 2 and is now the 9th-youngest winner in Formel ADAC history.

Evenly matched field: As the close of the season draws ever nearer, the international Formel ADAC line-up becomes even more tightly bunched. In each of the three races at the Slovakia Ring, three drivers from three different teams have finished on the podium. The last time that happened was ten race weekends ago at the Red Bull Ring in 2012. Moreover, for the first time this season, three different drivers have started from pole position.