- Zendeli in second place: One-two win for ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.
- Mick Schumacher finishes third to close gap on rival Mawson
- Title favourite comes away empty-handed
Zandvoort: Mike David Ortmann (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) secured his third win of 2016 in the second of three ADAC Formula 4 races at Zandvoort. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé drove a lights-to-flag victory from pole position. “I’m mega happy,” said Ortmann after the podium ceremony. “We’re now going to really enjoy our evening. I had a good grid position, and driving home to victory felt really great.” Rookie Lirim Zendeli (16, Germany) made it a one-two win for their team, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V., by crossing the finish line three tenths of a second behind Ortmann: “Our team are just amazing,” said Zendeli. “It can’t get any better. We benefit from having each other.” Mick Schumacher (17, Germany, Prema Powerteam) was third again, as in the first race, while championship leader Joey Mawson (20, Australia, Van Amersfoort Racing) finished out of the points following a collision.
Felipe Drugovich (16, Brazil, Neuhauser Racing) was fourth. Janneau Esmeijer (19, Netherlands, Team Timo Scheider) took the chequered flag in fifth position and was the best placed of three local favourites on the demanding circuit set among the dunes of the Dutch North Sea coast. The following drivers secured places six to ten respectively: Kami Laliberté (16, Canada, Van Amersfoort Racing), Thomas Preining (18, Austria, Lechner Racing), Juri Vips (16, Estonia, Prema Powerteam), Juan Manuel Correa (17, USA/Ecuador, Prema Powerteam) and Jonathan Aberdein (18, South Africa, Motopark).
No points for championship leader Mawson
In the 20th race of the 2016 ADAC High-Speed Academy, Joey Mawson’s title hopes suffered a setback. The current championship leader finished the race on Saturday afternoon out of the points following a collision with an opponent. With four races remaining, Mawson’s lead over rival title contender Schumacher has been reduced to 41 points.
In the third race on Sunday (to be shown live on SPORT1 starting at 10:15), Janneau Esmeijer will start from pole position. This is because the grid order is decided by the result of the first race, with the Top Ten starting in reverse order. Lining up behind the Dutch teenager will be rookie Felipe Drugovich and Kami Laliberté. Mawson will start from tenth, Schumacher from eighth.
Further comments on the ADAC Formula 4 race:
Mike David Ortmann (Winner, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.): “The team has put together a great car, and I am pleased that we’ve contributed to the bid for the team title. Let’s see what happens in the third race tomorrow. Whatever happens, we aim to finish in the points, but we’re not going to do anything risky starting from ninth. It’s difficult to process victories: you start to think that things will always go so well.”
Lirim Zendeli (Second in general classification and Best Rookie, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.): “Zandvoort seems to be really great for me. The pace was incredibly fast. I was lucky that my team-mate was so quick and that we didn’t let the others get anywhere near us. Tomorrow, I’ll be starting from seventh, which means that I’m under no sort of pressure.”