Kirchhöfer wins third race after charge up the field

• New champion Marvin Kirchhöfer wins all three races in Hockenheim
• Gustav Malja takes three podiums at the season finale
• Jeffrey Schmidt third in the championship

Hockenheimring – Race 3

Date: 30 September 2012
Race: 24/24
Weather: sunny, 18°C
Circuit length: 4.574 km
Pole position: Sebastian Balthasar
Laps: 15
Winner: Marvin Kirchhöfer
Fastest Lap: Gustav Malja (1:45.144)

Hockenheimring – After 24 exciting races during the season and a thrilling final weekend at the Hockenheimring, Marvin Kirchhöfer (18, Leipzig, Lotus) achieved another win in the last race. The newly-crowned champion rounded off his perfect weekend with a third win in the third race. In the first two races, the ADAC Sports Foundation protégé enjoyed a start-finish victory and in the final race, he fought his way up through the field from eighth on the grid to P1.

The most thrilling title battle in the history of the Formel ADAC was resolved on Saturday. Kirchhöfer sealed the championship fight ahead of the final race with two wins, having made an impressive comeback during the course of the two race weekends at the Nürburgring and Hockenheim: Kirchhöfer caught his championship rival Gustav Malja (16, Sweden, Neuhauser Racing) on the home straight with five successes in the last six races and secured the title.

Triple victory and title: Kirchhöfer’s perfect weekend

„Finishing the season with a hat trick is simply fantastic. This weekend at Hockenheim has been just brilliant,“ said Kirchhöfer after his ninth victory and 16th podium finish in his debut year in the Formel ADAC.
Team-mate Jeffrey Schmidt (18, Switzerland, Lotus) made it a one-two victory for team champions Lotus on Sunday; the Swiss driver took second place on the podium to secure third position in the championship. Malja completed the party on the podium in third place. It was the third podium finish of the weekend for the Swedish teenager.

Malja achieves podium finish on final lap

Alessio Picariello (19, Belgium, G & J / Schiller Motorsport) was in third place for a long time but had to let Malja through on the last lap of the race. In addition, the Belgian driver was handed a drive-through penalty which was subsequently converted into a 30-second time penalty, consigning him to P14. Thomas Jäger (18, Austria, Neuhauser Racing) gained as a result of the penalty, moving up into fourth place. Jäger fought hard during the race in scraps with Indy Dontje (19, Netherlands, Lotus) and Beitske Visser (17, Netherlands, Lotus), who eventually finished in fifth and sixth place respectively.

Nicolas Beer (16, Denmark, HS Engineering) secured seventh place, his best result so far in the junior series. The two Mücke team-mates, Roy Nissany (17, Israel, Mücke Motorsport) and Florian Herzog (19, Dresden, Mücke Motorsport) and pole-setter Sebastian Balthasar (16, Cologne, G & J / Schiller Motorsport) took the final points.

Comments from the Top Three drivers

Marvin Kirchhöfer, Winner:
„Finishing the season with a hat trick is simply fantastic. This weekend at Hockenheim has been just brilliant, and my car’s performance was excellent during the entire weekend. Whilst I won the first two races from pole, I had to fight my way up from eighth place to P1 in the third race. Racing here has been amazing. Zandvoort used to be my favourite track, but the Hockenheimring is now definitely at the top of my list after this weekend.“

Jeffrey Schmidt, Second:
„I made up my mind yesterday to finish the 2012 Formel ADAC season with a good result, which I have done. The main thing, though, was my third place in the championship and that was my most important goal for the weekend. Whilst I was a bit disappointed with two fourth places on Saturday, I now realise their importance for my final result in the standings. “

Gustav Malja, Third:
„Obviously, I'm disappointed that I did not win the championship but I at least ended the season well with three podiums in three races. The Lotus drivers were very quick on this track, and unfortunately, I just could not match their speed. Nevertheless, I want to thank my team Neuhauser Racing for two wonderful years in the Formel ADAC and for their fantastic support. I’m really looking forward now to finding out what the future holds for me as far as motor racing is concerned.“