Schumacher or Krütten: Who will win the Rookie title?

• Schumacher heads Rookie classification in run-up to ADAC Formula 4 finale at Hockenheimring
• Battle for second place: Fittipaldi, Lawson and Vesti still in the race
• Champion Zendeli intends to help his outfit, US Racing CHRS, win title

Munich: Showdown at Hockenheim! The stage is set for the fight between David Schumacher (16, Germany, US Racing CHRS) and Niklas Krütten (15, Germany, ADAC Berlin Brandenburg eV), who are competing to win the ADAC Formula 4 Rookie championship which will be decided this weekend. A lot could also still happen in the team competition - and three drivers are still battling for the position of runner-up behind new champion Lirim Zendeli (18, Germany, US Racing CHRS). Races 18, 19 and 20 will be run once more under the banner of the ADAC GT Masters and will decide who emerges triumphant at the Hockenheimring. SPORT1 will broadcast the races from the ADAC High-Speed Academy live on TV (Saturday, at 11.00 am and 5.15 pm, Sunday at 3.40 pm) and online at SPORT1.de. Racing will also be available online as live stream at adac.de/motorsport, on the Facebook page of the ADAC Formula 4 and at youtube.com/adac with German and English commentary.

In the run-up to the meeting in Baden-Württemberg, David Schumacher, son of ex-Formula 1 and DTM driver Ralf Schumacher, heads the Rookie classification with a lead of 20 points on his rival, Krütten, but there are still 75 points remaining to be won, so the competition for the Rookie trophy is still wide open. Schumacher: "After so many weekends without any racing, I'm obviously really looking forward to Hockenheim. Of course, I will do my best to win the Rookie championship, but that's certainly not my sole ambition. I also want to try to finish on the podium in the overall standings."

But Krütten, buoyed by his maiden win in the last race at the Nürburgring, believes he still has a chance. "I've had weekends where I arrived nine points down and left 13 points up, so all things are possible. I just have to do my bit and try to unsettle David," he said. "I'm good at handling pressure. I'm always calm and relaxed with nerves of steel."

So far, the Hockenheimring has really suited Schumacher with two Rookie wins in the previous five races. Krütten has taken one Rookie victory at the 4.57-km high-speed circuit.

A battle for the position of runner-up is now in progress following the championship-deciding race at the Nürburgring in favour of Lirim Zendeli, who can no longer be caught with a lead of 79 points. Enzo Fittipaldi (17, Brazil, Prema Theodore Racing), grandson of two-time Formula 1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, is in second place with 213 points and has an excellent chance of achieving success. "I really like the Hockenheimring. It's not one of my strongest tracks, but we're competitive nevertheless and can win," said Fittipaldi.

New Zealander Liam Lawson (16, New Zealand, Van Amersfoort Racing) in third place is twelve points behind Fittipaldi after losing ground following a disappointing weekend at the Nürburgring but intends to regain second place. But team-mate Frederik Vesti (16, Denmark, Van Amersfoort Racing) - currently fourth with a 17-point deficit on Fittipaldi - also has ambitions of his own to claim the position of runner-up. "I'm well prepared and confident. I will give it my best shot at the weekend," said the young Dane.

However, champion Zendeli also still intends to play his part in the action during this final race weekend of the season. "I definitely don't intend to just sit back and enjoy my title. I now need to go out and help my team win the championship title," he told us. Kerpen-based outfit US Racing CHRS are in first place in the team classification, 19 points ahead of Van Amersfoort Racing with drivers Lawson and Vesti. The season finale should prove to be extremely exciting for teams and drivers in the ADAC High-Speed Academy.