Rookie Scherer wins closing race at Lausitzring Motorsport Festival

• Swiss teenager claims first ADAC Formula 4 win
• Jannes Fittje and Mike David Ortmann also on the podium
• Mawson holds on to championship lead as Schumacher closes gap to three points

Rookie Fabio Scherer (16, Switzerland, Jenzer Motorsport) took a gamble on tyres to claim the win in the third of three races at the Lausitzring Motorsport Festival. It was also his first ever victory in the ADAC High Speed Academy. The 16-year-old came through from 14th on the grid in an exciting race on a wet but gradually drying track to finish ahead of Jannes Fittje (16, Germany, US Racing) and local favourite Mike David Ortmann (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.). Completing the Top Five were Kim-Luis Schramm (18, Germany, US Racing) and rookie Lirim Zendeli (16, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.).

“That was a big surprise, even for me,” said Fabio Scherer after receiving the trophy from the hands of former heavyweight boxer Axel Schulz. “I still couldn’t quite grasp the reality of the situation as I crossed the finish line. But it’s a wonderful feeling, which I could happily get used to. In the next few races too, I intend to keep on scoring points. The Best Rookie title is also a target. Race wins are always possible when everything goes right, but it’s not exactly easy when you’re competing against such a strong field.”

Mick Schumacher (17, Germany, Prema Powerteam), who won the first two races on Saturday and therefore started from tenth today, came home in sixth position ahead of rookie Felipe Drugovich (15, Brazil, Neuhauser Racing), Thomas Preining (17, Austria, Lechner Racing), Job van Uitert (17, Netherlands, Jenzer Motorsport) and ADAC Formula 4 newcomer Mauricio Baiz (17, Venezuela, ADAC Berlin- Brandenburg e.V.) for whom this was his first points-scoring appearance in the series. Current championship leader Joey Mawson (20, Australia, Van Amersfoort Racing) experienced technical problems and finished far back in 23rd place outside the points.

After a shower of rain just before the race, the fixture started on a drying track behind the safety car. Leonard Hoogenboom (16, Netherlands, RS Competition), who took pole by virtue of his tenth-place finish in Race 1, soon lost the lead to Ortmann. Schramm and Mawson were locked in a struggle for second place, while Schumacher was slowly but steadily working his way forward. Another safety car deployment after Oliver Söderström (17, Sweden, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) spun off into the gravel bunched the field up again.

At the restart, Ortmann initially managed to retain the lead and even pulled out something of a gap. After menacing second-placed Schramm for a long while, Mawson dropped back due to damage sustained by his car and was overtaken first by Schumacher and then by Preining. Shortly thereafter, the Australian was obliged to make a pit stop and was subsequently unable to recover the lost ground.

With the track gradually drying out, rookie Scherer, who had taken a gamble on slicks, overtook race leader Ortmann, who was on wet weather tyres, on the penultimate lap. Then Fittje also sailed past Ortmann to claim second place.

Joey Mawson is just about hanging onto his championship lead. After nine races of the 2016 campaign, the Australian has 152 points on the board, three more than Mick Schumacher (149). Mike David Ortmann is in third place on 100.

The unofficial title of ‘half-time champion’ in the ADAC junior formula series is up for grabs in two weeks (17th - 19th June) when Oschersleben hosts races ten to twelve. When the Motorsport Arena near Magdeburg staged the season opener, Mawson won two of the races and Schumacher the third.

Further comments on the ADAC Formula 4 race:

Fabio Scherer (winner, Jenzer Motorsport): “We switched to slicks. That was the decision of my engineer, so a big ‘thank you’ to my team. The pit stop took time, but fortunately the safety car was out on track, which helped me not to miss the boat. After that, the car went like the clappers. I had anticipated making progress, but I could never have expected to make it through to the front. Today, I especially benefited from the way the track dried so quickly. It’s unusual for such heavy rainfall to dry up that fast.”

Jannes Fittje (second, US Racing): “I set my expectations too low, whereas I should have just gone for it. That’s what lost me the race. I could have been a lot faster, but I can’t change anything now. But that’s why I’m here in the ADAC Formula 4 – to learn such things. I’ll do better next time. All in all, I’m not dissatisfied with the weekend, but at the moment, I’m a little disappointed. I know I could have won. I don’t know when I’ll get another chance like that again.”

Mike David Ortmann (third, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.): “We showed at the start of the race that our performance is better than even we had expected. I was able to do well initially and set a good pace. It was a bit wet to begin with. Towards the end, though, it was frustrating to see our opponents come past. The race was probably just one or two laps too long. I’m pleased that I was able to do justice to my fans by finishing third.”