Double pole for title contender Mikkel Jensen at the Nürburgring

• Third pole in a row: Mikkel Jensen continues upward trend in qualifying
• Championship rival Maximilian Günther on third row
• Fabian Schiller and Nico Menzel in Top Ten at home fixture for their team, Schiller Motorsport

Nürburgring: Mikkel Jensen (19, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing) has come one step closer to winning the Formel ADAC title. The championship leader secured pole position for the first of this weekend’s three races at the Nürburgring. The Neuhauser Racing driver posted the fastest time of 1:32.148 minutes.

Jensen will also be on pole for the second race where the second-fastest lap time in qualifying is the deciding factor. The 19-year-old Dane is thus continuing his strong run of successes: Jensen secured pole position in qualifying for the third time in a row, clinching poles five and six in the ADAC high-speed academy.

Late attack on best time

Jensen did not decide to launch his attack on best time until the middle of the 30-minute session when he went into P1, consistently improving with every lap. Ultimately, Jensen had a lead of 0.175 seconds on runner-up Joel Eriksson (16, Sweden, Lotus). Driving for Lotus, the series newcomer covered the legendary Formula 1 circuit in 1:32.323 minutes on his best lap. The Swedish teenager placed second to achieve his best qualifying result so far in the Formel ADAC.

That was also true of Eriksson's team-mate Dennis Marschall (18, Germany, Lotus). The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé finished in third place with a personal best time of 1:32.366 minutes, which was about two-tenths of a second off the pace. The two Lotus youngsters Eriksson and Marschall improved in the final minutes of the slightly rain-affected qualifying session to secure good grid positions for Saturday’s first race (available from 10:50 a.m. onwards in the live stream at: adac.de/formel-adac).

Dienst overtaken by Lotus rookies

Marvin Dienst (17, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) completes the second row in fourth position. The 17-year-old was the best-placed driver for his team Mücke Motorsport, who compete under the aegis of ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V. Dienst was in second place for quite a while with a lap time of 1:32.499 minutes but was ultimately defeated by both Lotus rookies.

Placed second in the championship standings, Maximilian Günther (17, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) shares the third row with ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Tim Zimmermann (17, Germany, Neuhauser Racing). The top six were covered by less than six tenths of a second, which just goes to prove how highly competitive Formel ADAC is.

Schiller on fourth row at home fixture

At what constitutes a home fixture for his team, Schiller Motorsport, German teenager Fabian Schiller (17, Germany, Schiller Motorsport) took seventh place on the grid from Lotus driver Luis-Enrique Breuer (17, Germany, Lotus). Local driver Nico Menzel (16, Germany, Schiller Motorsport) slotted into ninth place with a deficit of eight tenths of a second on pole-setter Jensen. The teenager from Kelberg lives just eight kilometres from the Nürburgring and will be contesting his first single-seater race on home territory.

For fans unable to watch the three races in person at the Nürburgring, the ADAC is again providing a live stream this year. This free download is available from the official ADAC Motorsport website at www.adac.de/formel-adac.

Mikkel Jensen (19, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing), Pole Race 1 and 2:
“What an excellent start to the weekend. It didn’t look like it was going to turn out that way at first. We waited quite a while to avoid getting stuck in traffic. I was a bit anxious, because I could see the rain coming, but our strategy was perfect in the end. I had several clear laps and found setting best times easy. Meanwhile, I saw the raindrops on the visor and thought that the track would become more slippery. But actually, grip was only slightly less in Turns five, six and seven. The rest of the circuit seemed normal. Now my objective is clear: I aim to win both races on Saturday and extend my lead in the championship.”