Spectacular Zandvoort: The contest for the ADAC Formula 4 'half time championship'

• Flat out through the dunes: Van Amersfoort Racing on a mission to score points in home race
• Théo Pourchaire aiming to consolidate championship lead
• ADAC Formula 4 returns to Zandvoort after successful debut in 2016

Munich: In the next round of the 2019 ADAC Formula 4, Van Amersfoort Racing will be intent on making a good impression in front of the home fans. Among the drivers, Théo Pourchaire and his closest pursuers - Arthur Leclerc, Dennis Hauger et al - will be keen to secure the unofficial title of 'half-time champion'. Only two weeks after sharing the billing with the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Hockenheim, the ADAC High-Speed Academy undergraduates are back in action at Zandvoort in the Netherlands. SPORT1 will be showing the three ADAC Formula 4 races on TV. They can also be watched online via the livestreaming services of SPORT1.de, youtube.com/adac, adac.de/motorsport and the Facebook page of ADAC Formula 4.

Arthur Leclerc (18, Monaco, US Racing CHRS), the younger brother of Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc, intends to carry on where he left off at Hockenheim with another win. "It was amazing to be standing on the top rung of the podium as the national anthem rang out," said the 18-year-old, who has moved up to second in the championship. "I'll be more than happy for that to happen again. I'm looking forward to the races at Zandvoort, and I am in top form, so it suits me fine that there isn't a long break between the two events."

By virtue of consistency, Leclerc junior has put himself in contention for the title. With the exception of the first race of the season at Oschersleben, he has scored points on every outing since and has finished on the podium three times. Only Theo Pourchaire (15, France, US Racing) has a better record so far, with eleven points more than his closest pursuer. "It's going very well right now," says Pourchaire who, like Leclerc, drives for the US Racing CHRS team managed by Ralf Schumacher and Gerhard Ungar. "I'm not making many mistakes. I like being at the top of the table and obviously want to remain there. I've never raced at Zandvoort, but I'm going to do some practice laps on the simulator. I really like the layout of the track."

The French 15-year-old is not alone in this regard, because the circuit set amid the North Sea dunes is uncharted territory for all of the ADAC Formula 4 contestants. The sand and the changeable weather conditions present teams and drivers with an additional challenge. "The gravel beds and walls are close to the track, which makes it all the more interesting for us drivers," says Niklas Krütten (16, Germany, Van Amersfoort Racing). "You have more adrenaline coursing around your body."

Races nine to eleven of the 2019 season will be contested at Zandvoort. Hadrien David (15, France, R-ace GP) will be joining the starting line-up for the first time at Zandvoort and also the following weekend at the Nürburgring. At the end of the tenth round on Sunday morning, the identity of the ADAC Formula 4 'half-time champion' will become known. Pourchaire may be the favourite, but Leclerc, Dennis Hauger (16, Norway, Van Amersfoort Racing), Niklas Krütten and a couple of others also fancy their chances.

"I am feeling highly motivated," says ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Krütten. The 16-year-old is a member of the Van Amersfoort Racing driver squad, which also includes Dennis Hauger, Ido Cohen (17, Israel), Lucas Alecco Roy (22, Germany/Monaco) and Sebastian Estner (17, Germany). For the Dutch outfit, the race weekend at Zandvoort constitutes a real home fixture; the team headquarters in Zeewolde is only 80 kilometres away. "I competed here myself in the 1970s, and it's a very special feeling to be returning to your roots," says team boss Frits van Amersfoort.

ADAC Formula 4 is back at Zandvoort for the first time since the series made its Dutch debut in 2016. On that occasion, Germany's Mike David Ortmann won one of the three races; he has since made the step up to the ADAC GT Masters. The other two races were won by the Van Amersfoort Racing duo of Joey Mawson (Australia), who went on to win the title that year, and by Kami Laliberte from Canada. Frits van Amersfoort hopes that his current crop of drivers will enjoy a similar level of success: "We will have a strong team and, of course, we want to get ourselves up there on the podium."