- Italian outfit prevail on final lap
- Championship runner-up Mick Schumacher and Best Rookie Juri Vips clinch title
Hockenheim: Prema Powerteam were delighted to win a title that had appeared to be out of reach. "This championship was very important for the team and is a reward for all their hard work," said Mick Schumacher (17, Germany) after the Italian outfit snatched the ADAC Formula 4 team championship at the very last moment. At the same time, Schumacher nailed the runner-up spot in the drivers' championship.
This double coup rounded off a perfect ADAC Formula 4 race weekend for Prema Powerteam, on which another of their drivers, Lance Stroll (Canada), lifted the Formula 3 European Championship title. The team also has a stake in GP2, the feeder series to Formula 1.
The grand finale at Hockenheim of the 2016 ADAC Formula 4 was a continuation of the close-fought battle between Prema and the Netherlands-based Van Amersfoort Racing team that had raged throughout the season. Schumacher made the decisive overtaking move on the race leader, Van Amersfoort's Kami Laliberté (17, Canada), just a few corners from the finish line and then held on for victory. The Italians took the team title by the narrowest of margins - 459½ points to 455. Rookie Juri Vips (16, Estonia) also played a part in the late dash to victory with his third-place finish in the general classification.
"Going into the race, the odds were against us pipping Van Amersfoort to the post," said the Estonian who ended his debut year in the ADAC Formula 4 as second-best rookie. "Mick and I just made it. That was so good. Now we're going to celebrate our success properly."
Starting alongside Vips and Schumacher in the squad this year was Juan Manuel Correa (17, USA/Ecuador). Just like Schumacher in 2015, Correa finished third in this year's rookie classification. They all dream of a career in motorsport, and the Prema name has been acknowledged over the years for its excellent work in bringing on talented youngsters: Jacques Villeneuve, Robert Kubica, Kamui Kobayashi, Daniel Juncadella and Roberto Merhi are just a few of the Prema Powerteam alumni who have gone on to compete in Formula 1 or the DTM.