Schmidt wins Race 3 at Lausitzring

• Jeffrey Schmidt celebrates maiden Formel ADAC victory
• Youngest driver in the field Felix Wieland claims maiden podium
• Gustav Malja retains championship lead going into Nürburgring weekend

Lausitzring – Race 3

Date: 26 August 2012
Race: 18/24
Weather: cloudy, 23°C
Circuit length: 4.534 km
Pole position: Jason Kremer
Laps: 14
Winner: Jeffrey Schmidt
Fastest Lap: Jeffrey Schmidt (1:49.336)

Lausitzring – Three races and three different winners: Jeffrey Schmidt (18, Switzerland, Lotus) won the second of Sunday’s two Formel ADAC races at the Lausitzring after starting from sixth on the grid. The young Swiss driver not only celebrated his maiden victory in the junior series but also his second podium of the weekend. At the same time, he ensured the eighth success of the season for his Lotus team. „There have been a few times this season when I’ve only just missed out on the top spot, but today I finally did it,“ said Schmidt.

Felix Wieland (Rosenheim, HS Engineering), at 15 years of age the youngest driver in the field, achieved his best Formel ADAC result to date. Current championship leader Gustav Malja (16, Sweden, Neuhauser Racing) rounded off a successful weekend making it three podium appearances out of three.

Malja leaves Lausitzring with clear championship lead

His consistency over the weekend has given him a comfortable margin in the standings. Malja’s overall points tally after 18 out of 24 races is 229. In the three races just contested, he notched up 23 points more than his closest rival and previous incumbent at the top of the table, Marvin Kirchhöfer (18, Leipzig, Lotus). This means that Malja goes into the penultimate round of the series at the Nürburgring (14th – 16th September) with a 25-point lead.

Jäger ploughs his way through half the field

A magnificent charge by Alessio Picariello (18, Belgium, G&J / Schiller-Motorsport) took him from ninth to fourth. The Belgian was the direct beneficiary of a pile-up at the start involving a number of other cars. Following behind in fifth place was Thomas Jäger (18, Austria, Neuhauser Racing) who managed to make good no fewer than eight places over 14 laps. Kirchhöfer, currently number two in the overall standings, eventually had to let Picariello and Jäger pass but was able to defend sixth position against Luca Caspari (16, Meerbusch, Mücke Motorsport). Nicolas Beer (16, Denmark, HS Engineering) finished eighth ahead of local favourite Hendrik Grapp (18, Berlin, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.). The winner of the weekend opener contested most of the race with a damaged front wing, but it was only just before the chequered flag that he had to yield position.

Third-placed driver in the championship, Jason Kremer (17, Bonn, Mücke Motorsport) was forced to retire early from the race. The pole-setter was involved in a collision on Lap 2 with the winner of the previous race, Beitske Visser (17, NL, Lotus). Neither of them was able to continue. Roy Nissany (17, Israel, Mücke Motorsport) temporarily took over the lead but then had to park up in the pits on Lap 10.

Comments from the Top Three drivers

Jeffrey Schmidt, Winner:
„There have been a few times this season when I’ve only just missed out on the top spot, but today I finally did it. I got off to a great start and worked hard from very early on to overtake whoever was ahead. The setup for my car was perfect today, enabling me to move up from sixth on the grid to the top rung of the podium. I’m truly grateful to my crew. I know that I have the necessary speed, and I fully intend to prove this in the final six races of the season.“

Felix Wieland, Second:
„In the opening race I came last, but now for the first time ever at the Formel ADAC, I’m standing on the podium. What an incredible feeling. I gave it everything I’d got, and my efforts paid dividends. Towards the end of the race, when Gustav Malja was coming up fast in my rear-view mirror, I held my nerve and didn’t let him psyche me out. All in all, the race just couldn’t have gone any better for me.“

Gustav Malja, Third:
„P3 is a great way to round off a successful race weekend. I had a lot of fun and was able to consolidate my position at the top of the championship table. After a collision at the start of the race, I had some problems with my car and had to push to the limit in the following laps. But I kept my cool and managed a controlled podium finish.“