Joel Eriksson and Joey Mawson on pole at Red Bull Ring

• Best time of anyone: Joel Eriksson takes top spot on grid in first race
• Joey Mawson secures pole position for Race 2 in Spielberg
• Eriksson: “I now hope to achieve the same result in the race.”

Spielberg. ADAC Formula 4 races are being staged outside of Germany’s borders
for the first time in its brief history, as Austria’s Red Bull Ring becomes the venue
for the second race weekend of this inaugural 2015 season. In qualifying, Joel
Eriksson (17, SWE, Motopark) secured the best grid position for the first of this
weekend’s three races. The Swedish teenager will start the first race on Saturday
from pole position (live on SPORT1 from 14:40 onwards). Zhou Guan Yu (16, CHN,
Prema Powerteam) will line up next to him on the front row. Ralf Aron (17, EST,
Prema Powerteam) will be in third place and Tim Zimmermann (18, GER,
Neuhauser Racing) in P4.

Grid positions for the second race are determined by the second best lap times of
the session, and Joey Mawson (19, AUS, Van Amersfoort Racing) won through
against Zimmermann to take pole. Joel Eriksson and rookie David Beckmann (15,
GER, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport) will share the second row on Sunday at 12:00
noon (live on SPORT1).

Qualifying for Race 1

Qualifying was held in two groups in view of the large field of entries composed of
39 cars. The starting grid for the first race is determined by the fastest lap times in
qualifying. The driver who posts best time of anyone lines up in pole position. The
fastest driver from the other group takes second place on the grid. The remaining
cars then slot into place behind the two fastest drivers from the groups.

Ralf Aron will line up behind the two fastest drivers in the group, Joel Eriksson and
Zhou Guan Yu, and occupy third place on the grid directly in front of ADAC Sports
Foundation protégé Tim Zimmermann in P4. Janneau Esmeijer (18, NED, HTP
Juniorteam) and Michael Waldherr (18, GER, Motopark) share the third row. David
Beckmann will line up behind Joey Mawson in eighth position on his ADAC Formula
4 debut.

In Group 2, Joel Eriksson won the battle with Zhou Guan Yu from the other group, to
secure best time of anyone – 1:32.173 minutes. Ferrari Driver Academy’s Zhou
Guan Yu needed 1:32.220 minutes for his fastest lap in Group 1, taking second place on the grid.
For a long time, Eriksson was the only driver to crack 1:33. He
maintained his lead with a strong lap two minutes before the end. Aron, who is
placed second in the championship, improved at the chequered flag, posting a
1:32.190 to take second place from Esmeijer.

Qualifying in Group 1 was just as exciting. Zimmermann took the top spot in the
dying seconds of the qualifying, only to be beaten by Guan Yu, who posted two
sector best times. Until then, Waldherr (1:32.293) had topped the timesheets.

Qualifying for Race 2

As far as the second-fastest lap times of the session were concerned, Australian
driver Mawson won through with a personal best time of 1:32.321 minutes.
Zimmermann secured second place with a lap time of 1:32.514 minutes. Eriksson
(1:32.349) and Beckmann (1:32.535) will line up on the second row for the fifth
race of the season. Aron (1:32.424), Guan Yu (1:32.556), the championship leader
Marvin Dienst (18, GER, HTP Juniorteam/1:32.537) and Waldherr (1:32.560)
complete the top eight.

Joel Eriksson (17, SWE, Motopark), Pole, Race 1:
“My qualifying went really well today. Being on pole position is just great. The
weekend at the Red Bull Ring in 2014 was a turning point for me – I now have a
similar feeling. We made some changes to the car before qualifying and I’ve felt
really good since then. I pushed the whole time apart from when posting a few cooldown
laps, and the lap times were there. I’m now hoping for the same result in the
race.”

Joey Mawson (19, AUS, Van Amersfoort Racing), Pole, Race 2:
“I’m really happy about pole position in the second race. Today’s cooler conditions
in qualifying suited me, because they had a positive effect on my car’s balance.
Overall, I was very pleased with setup and balance – a big thank you to my
engineers and the whole team. Unfortunately, I got stuck in traffic a little bit
towards the end of qualifying and made a few mistakes, otherwise an even better
lap time might have been possible. I’ve now got my sights set on the podium in
order to accumulate more points.”