- Swedish football shirt makes Gustav Malja go faster
- Jason Kremer looks for inspiration on his steering wheel
- Drivers of four different nationalities on the podium
The third race weekend of the 2012 season (8th - 10th June) brought the budding stars of single-seater racing to the historic Sachsenring circuit. 25,000 enthusiastic spectators at the ADAC Masters Weekend saw Swedish driver Gustav Malja (16, Neuhauser Racing) take the honours in the two races that went the full distance. Meanwhile, local favourite Marvin Kirchhöfer (18, Leipzig, Lotus) successfully defended his championship lead with one podium and one P4 finish.
Mission accomplished: Given the well-matched field contesting the Formel ADAC championship, it is difficult to make any reliable forecasts. Undeterred, Gustav Malja stuck his neck out in the run-up to the Sachsenring weekend: “I want to win the first two races.” He was as good as his word, winning the first race at his favourite track on Saturday and repeating the feat the following day.
Special design: Nicolas Pohler (16, Starnberg, KUG Motorsport) has the fastest ‘footwear’ in the Formel ADAC paddock. His sponsors have themed the livery of Pohler’s 145bhp Formel ADAC powered by Volkswagen to resemble a sports shoe complete with laces painted on the front. The perfect design to herald the opening of EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.
Special good luck charm: Gustav Malja has an unusual good luck charm in his car – and not just since the start of the European Football Championship. The inside of his cockpit is adorned with a miniature football shirt bearing the name and number of Swedish national player Zlatan Ibrahimovi?. One day, the 16-year-old hopes to achieve as much success on the racetrack as his idol has on the football pitch; the two of them come from the same town in Sweden. Malja thinks the Swedish team will get as far as the quarter-finals but is tipping Germany to win the title.
Extra motivation: Jason Kremer (17, Bonn, Mücke Motorsport) secured his third podium finish of the season at the Sachsenring. The Mücke driver draws additional inspiration from a slogan printed in large lettering on his steering wheel: “Winning starts in the mind – keep pushing.” Although Kremer stays fully focused on driving during the race, he always sneaks a look at the motivational aid before the start and imprints the message on his memory.
A special gift: An almost perfect weekend for Gustav Malja resulted in two major trophies, but the 16-year-old also received a personal gift from his younger brother who was so proud of him that he painted a picture. This depicts a podium and a Swedish flag bearing a large number one and the name of the double winner.
Highly competitive field: The first three race weekends of the Formel ADAC championship have seen five winners from five different countries on the podium: Marvin Kirchhöfer (Germany), Thomas Jäger (Austria), Kuba Dalewski (Poland), Beitske Visser (Netherlands) and Gustav Malja (Sweden). Eleven drivers have shared the 24 available podium positions among themselves.