- Could the teenager from Bochum wrap up the title as early as early as the Nürburgring weekend?
- The championship leader’s closest pursuers, Lawson and Fittipaldi, aren’t about to give up
- David Schumacher goes into the penultimate race weekend as prime contender for Best Rookie trophy
Nürburgring: A thrilling weekend (3rd to 5th August) is in store at the Nürburgring in the Eifel, where Lirim Zendeli (18, Germany, US Racing CHRS) could clinch the ADAC Formula 4 championship title on the penultimate weekend of the season. The 18-year-old from Bochum has a 46-point lead in the general classification over New Zealander Liam Lawson (16, Van Amersfoort Racing), which gives him a mathematical chance of wrapping it all up ahead of time. So it’s match point for Zendeli.
Whether he seizes this opportunity will be known after races 15, 16 and 17 of the 2018 season, which are once again being contested in the general framework of the ADAC GT Masters weekend. SPORT1 is showing the races staged by the ADAC High-Speed Academy on TV and online on via its www.SPORT1.de portal. All races are also available on the livestream provided by www.adac.de/motorsport, on the Facebook page of ADAC Formula 4 and via www.youtube.com/adac with German and English commentary.
If Zendeli scores at least 30 points more than his closest pursuer at the Nürburgring, he will have the title in the bag in his third season in ADAC Formula 4. This would leave him 76 points ahead of Lawson, and with three races per weekend yielding a maximum 75 points, his lead would be unassailable.
Zendeli knows he is in a very strong position, but he does not intend to put himself under any additional pressure and will be taking each race as it comes: “I’m never confident of anything until the chequered flag is waved at the end of the final race.” In the two most recent races, 13 and 14, which were contested as part of the German Grand Prix weekend at the Hockenheimring, victory and a runner-up spot for Zendeli really put the screws on the pursuing bunch.
But the opposition aren’t about to roll over. Not only Liam Lawson but also third-placed Enzo Fittipaldi (17, Brazil/USA, Prema Theodore Racing), 74 points behind the leader, and fourth-placed Frederik Vesti (16, Denmark, Van Amersfoort Racing) still believe they are in with a chance. With six races still to go – three this weekend at the Nürburgring and three more in the grand finale at Hockenheim in September – there is still scope for movement at the top.
At the Nürburgring this coming weekend, contestants can expect high summer temperatures of 30°C and upwards. The three races on Saturday (11:05 and 15:45) and on Sunday (09:20) will therefore subject the youngsters of the ADAC High-Speed Academy to an additional physical challenge. The unusually high temperatures represent an extreme stress test not only for the drivers but also the pit crews, engineers, mechanics and the cars.
Tension will also be running high in the ADAC Formula 4 Rookie Cup where David Schumacher (16, Germany, USA Racing CHRS) and Niklas Krütten (15, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) are going head-to-head in the battle for the title. Schumacher, son of ex-Formula 1 and DTM driver Ralf Schumacher, currently tops the table on 219 points, but Krütten is breathing down his neck, just ten points behind on 209. “I’m really looking forward to the race,” says Schumacher, who drives for US Racing CHRS, the team managed by his father Ralf. “I will be going all out to win the rookie title.”
His main rival is 15-year-old Niklas Krütten who comes from Trier, which means that the Nürburgring is his home track. Consequently, he will have a large following of family and friends cheering him on from the stands. “Someone has to stop David’s forward momentum,” says Krütten with a laugh. “I’m really looking forward to the races and will be battling for the rookie title right through to the end.”