Maiden Formel ADAC victory for Dennis Marschall

• Team Lotus celebrate podium lockout in third race at Lausitzring
• Local favourite Luis-Enrique Breuer completes Formel ADAC debut with podium finish
• Ralph Boschung stages dramatic charge up field from last on the grid to third

Klettwitz – Oschersleben-based Team Lotus finally made their mark after a tough weekend at the Lausitzring, securing a podium lockout in the third race on Sunday afternoon. Dennis Marshall (17, Germany, Lotus) won the final race ahead of team-mates Luis Enrique Breuer (17, Germany, Lotus) and Ralph Boschung (16, Switzerland, Lotus).

“I’m really pleased and can hardly believe that I’ve clinched my first Formel ADAC win,” said a delighted Marschall. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé is the first series newcomer to win a race in the 2014 season. Marschall got off to a great start from pole position and quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. He subsequently opened up a comfortable lead on Breuer and crossed the finish line with a lead of 1.6 seconds on his team-mate after 18 laps.

Local driver makes strong debut

Yet another series newcomer, Luis-Enrique Breuer, achieved a maiden podium. The local favourite from Berlin was contesting his first Formel ADAC race weekend at the Lausitzring and got off to a perfect start. After securing fourth place in qualifying, the 17-year-old went on to achieve two points-scoring finishes and one podium with P2 in the three races.

Breuer began the race from grid position two and skilfully kept out of the confused situation behind him. The young talents were giving nothing away over the first two laps and pulled off various overtaking manoeuvres as they progressed up through the field. Boschung was the big winner of the action-packed start phase. Within the space of the first two laps, the Swiss teenager improved ten positions from last place. Boschung slotted into third place after the sixth lap to finish on the podium for the third time this season.

Success for Mücke Motorsport in home fixture

Marvin Dienst (17, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) in fourth place was the most successful driver in the home fixture for his team, Mücke Motorsport, who compete under the aegis of the ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V. Dienst was runner-up in the first race and winner of the second. In the three races staged this weekend, the Berlin-based outfit achieved a total of four podium finishes and replaced Neuhauser Racing as leaders in the team standings.

Maximilian Günther (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) also played his part with two podiums. The 2013 championship runner-up finished fifth in the final race. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé dropped down the field from grid position eight at the start to twelfth place but battled his way through the field on the ensuing laps.

Tight situation at the top of the championship table

In the title chase, Günther benefited from the retirement of championship leader Mikkel Jensen (19, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing). The Danish driver dropped out of the race on Lap 4 whilst in fourth place. With nine out of 24 races now having been contested, his championship lead over closest pursuer Günther has been reduced by nineteen points during the course of the weekend to a slender two-point gap.

The Red Bull Ring in Austria plays host to the Formel ADAC series on the weekend of 6th to 8th June 2014. This fourth fixture of the season and the second excursion outside the borders of Germany features Rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the competition.

Comments from the Top Three

Dennis Marschall (17, Germany, Lotus), Winner:
“I’m really pleased and can hardly believe that I’ve clinched my first Formel ADAC win. I’m happy for the whole team – a triple success was not necessarily to be expected in view of the way things went this weekend. The hotter temperatures in the third race may have helped us, as balance and pace were significantly better. I was able to defend my P1 at the start and open up a small lead as a cushion on the pursuing bunch over the subsequent laps. At first, I wasn’t certain whether some of the others were catching me up or not, but fortunately, the gap remained constant and I secured victory at the finish line.”

Luis-Enrique Breuer (17, Germany, Lotus), Second:
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet that I’ve achieved a podium on my first Formel ADAC race weekend. Although I started the race from second on the grid, this result is still somewhat unexpected. Unfortunately, I didn’t get off the line very well, otherwise I might have been in a position to challenge Dennis for the lead. We posted similar times during the race, and the gap remained pretty constant, but I’m genuinely delighted with second place. Some of my friends have come from Berlin to watch me and it’s a great feeling to stand on the podium in front of them.”

Ralph Boschung (16, Switzerland, Lotus), Third:
“For me, this third place is almost a mini victory. If somebody had told me that I would be finishing on the podium after starting from last, I would have dismissed the idea as totally unrealistic. The speed of our car hasn’t been good all weekend, but after we tweaked the setup, it was significantly better for the third race. I exploited all the confusion on the first two laps and actually passed no fewer than three other drivers on one of the corners. If the race had gone on a little longer, I feel that the win might even have been a possibility. After the way this race went, I’m well satisfied with third.”