Season finale at Hockenheim: Four-way battle for second spot

• Four drivers in with a chance of runner-up trophy
• Local favourite Marvin Dienst: “All-out attack in the season finale”
• Champion Alessio Picariello could break record for number of victories in a season

There are sections and turns of the Hockenheimring – Motodrom, Parabolika, Spitzkehre – the mere names of which are enough to make fans drool with excitement. This historic circuit in Baden-Württemberg is the venue for the last three races of the 2013 Formel ADAC season. The young drivers of the ADAC High-Speed Academy are eagerly anticipating the unique atmosphere of this track, which regularly hosts Formula 1 as well as the DTM, and where they will be contesting three exciting races. The new champion, Alessio Picariello, was crowned ahead of time on the previous race weekend at the Slovakia Ring. With ten wins and 14 podium finishes after 21 races, the Belgian has an unassailable lead. But Picariello, whose Mücke Motorsport outfit has also won the team title, has a very good reason to keep up the pressure: having already won twelve of the 21 races staged so far, one more victory will take him past the record set by Richie Stanaway in 2010 for the most wins in a single campaign.

However, the 20-year-old will not be having it all his own way, as a four-way battle for the runner-up spot is also brewing. Marvin Dienst from nearby Lampertheim is currently in fifth place on 171 points and firmly believes he can close the gap on second-placed Maximilian Günther who goes into the weekend on 220 points. Dienst, who lives just 40 miles away from Hockenheim, will have a lot of local support at his home race and is in scintillating form. The 16-year-old had the best points haul of his rookie season at the Slovakia Ring a fortnight ago, finishing on the podium in all three races and claiming his first winner’s trophy.

Local favourite Dienst: Building on recent success

Marvin Dienst (Neuhauser Racing): “I’ve shown that I can win races, and with this knowledge, I’m feeling very confident about my home fixture at the Hockenheimring. My family and friends will all be there to support me over the weekend, and that gives me extra motivation. I’ve had a competitive car all season, and this is a track that should suit us well. I’ll be going all out on the attack in the season finale.”

Second-placed Günther has similar thoughts. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé is the most successful of the 15 newcomers to Formel ADAC in 2013 and is aiming to round off his strong debut in the competition with the runner-up trophy. The 16-year-old drives for the same team as new champion Picariello and has already notched up ten podium finishes this year: “I’m really looking forward to the season finale. If I can maintain or even improve the speed I’ve shown so far, then second place should be safe. But at Hockenheim, anything can happen. Unfortunately, things didn’t go too well for me at the Slovakia Ring, so for these last three races, I need to focus fully on attack.”

Kremer with fond memories of season finale venue

Günther’s main rival for second place in the championship is Jason Kremer from Bonn, who is currently trailing by 23 points. Now into his third Formel ADAC campaign, Kremer hopes to achieve his best season finish yet. As the most experienced driver in the field, he has good memories of the Hockenheimring, having won his first race here in the in the 2011 season. In fact, the ADAC Sports Foundation protégé is the only driver in the current crop who has a victory at Hockenheim to his credit: “Even though I can well remember my first win, I would like to refresh the memory with another one. The Hockenheimring is one of my favourite tracks, and I’ve always been fast here. And because I’m in with a chance of taking second place in the championship, I’ll be going full throttle.”

Nicolas Beer also knows the 4.574km circuit from the 2012 season. The Danish youngster is in fourth position on 172 points, one ahead of Neuhauser Racing team-mate Marvin Dienst, and also sees himself as a contender for the runner-up spot: “The final race weekend of the season is always a special occasion, and this time even more so for me because there is something at stake. The track has a total of 17 turns and there are plenty of overtaking opportunities, in particular after the Parabolika. Slipstream will play a major role on the long straight and will make it possible to gain track position. Personally, I am very much looking forward to entering the Motodrom, where the noise from the fans will be deafening – this part of the track is simply incredible and is a unique feature on the racing calendar.”