Maximilian Günther with double pole in season finale

• ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Maximilian Günther most successful at qualifying during 2013
• Deficit of one tenth of a second: Close-fought scrap for pole with champion Alessio Picariello
• Local favourite Marvin Dienst on second row

Hockenheim – Prelude to the grand finale: the Hockenheimring is the venue for the final Formel ADAC race weekend of the 2013 season. ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Maximilian Günther (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) gave himself the best possible chance of success in the third-to-last race of the year (Saturday, 2:15pm): he secured pole position for each of the first two races this weekend during qualifying.

“Obviously, my goal now is victory. I proved at the Lausitzring that I can win races, so I feel very confident about the final race weekend of the season,” said the delighted championship runner-up. After achieving pole number seven and number eight in his debut season in the ADAC’s high-speed academy, Günther is the most successful driver in qualifying during 2013.

Günther comfortably secures pole position

Günther is on pole for the start of both the first race on Saturday and the second race on Sunday morning at 10:50am. In the second race, the grid positions are determined from the second fastest lap times in qualifying. Half-way through the session, the 16-year-old took over at the top of the timesheet and consistently improved his lap times. Two minutes before the end, Günther became the first driver to crack 1:45, posting a 1:45.533, the fastest time of the day.

Alessio Picariello (20, Belgium, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) had everyone watching with excitement as he finished his final flying lap. The young Belgian, who won the championship last race weekend in Slovakia before season’s end, covered the circuit in 1:45.679 minutes on his fastest lap – he ultimately had a deficit of just 0.146 seconds on team-mate Günther driving for the winners of the team championship, Mücke Motorsport.

Local driver Dienst keeps alive hopes of finishing runner-up

Marvin Dienst (16, Germany, Neuhauser Racing) secured third place on the grid behind the other two drivers after posting a personal best time of 1:45.922 minutes. The local teenager from the nearby town of Lampertheim equalled his best qualifying result so far, achieving P3 for the second time. A gripping scrap for the title of runner-up is now in prospect. Pole-setter Günther has the advantage in second place overall on 220 points, whereas Dienst is in fifth place on 171 points. The other two contenders for the honour of finishing runner-up, Jason Kremer (18, Germany, Schiller Motorsport) on 197 points and Nicolas Beer (17, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing) on 172 championship points, were unable to qualify further up the grid than eighth and ninth respectively.
Best result of season for rookie Schiller

At the last qualifying session of the year, Fabian Schiller (16, Germany, Schiller Motorsport) finished fourth, achieving the best result of his debut season. Posting a 1:46.006 on his final flying lap, the Schiller Motorsport driver relegated Ralph Boschung (16, Switzerland, KUG Motorsport) to P5. The Swiss teenager will share the third row with Red Bull junior Beitske Visser (18, Netherlands, Lotus). Qualifying at Hockenheim provided a foretaste of the three exciting races still to come – just half a second covered the top five.

The ADAC is once again providing a live stream for fans unable to be at the circuit to watch this weekend’s three races in person. The download is freely available from the ADAC official website at www.adac.de/motorsport.

Maximilian Günther (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.), Poles Race 1 and 2:
„I’m really delighted. The speed was there from the very first moment and I was able to use it to good effect, even on the new tyres. This result has put a smile back on my face after my tough weekend at the Slovakia Ring. I’ve put all the bad luck from the previous race weekend behind me and am making things right again. Obviously, my goal now is victory. I proved at the Lausitzring that I can win races, so I feel very confident about the final race weekend of the season.“