Maximilian Günther secured second place in the FIA European Formula 3 Championship at the season finale at the Hockenheimring, and the German was delighted to have achieved that in only his second season of Formula 3 racing.
The Prema Powerteam driver finished second, eighth and ninth in the final trio of races last weekend to clinch the position, and he thanked the team for allowing him to achieve this position, which involved four victories along the way.
“If someone had told me a few years ago that this was going to happen, I would have said, OK, thank you very much,” said Günther. “The season has been fantastic from start to finish.
“It just feels like nothing on earth to have a team behind me, with whom I could compete for the championship and become European championship runner-up in only my second year in Formula 3.
“Working with the guys from Prema has always been a lot of fun. They’re really on the ball. The atmosphere within the team is both very friendly and yet very professional at the same time. I’m extremely happy to be a part of the Prema family.”
Günther admitted that his goal heading into the Hockenheimring weekend was to make amends for his pointless visit to Imola last time out and clinch second place in the standings, and after his runners-up spot in race one after a battle with team-mate Lance Stroll, he was able to secure the runners-up spot with an eighth place in race two, even if he was out of position on the grid.
“My goal was clear, to finish as championship runner-up,” said Günther. “Unfortunately, the last weekend in Imola didn’t go according to plan, but I quickly drew a line under it to focus exclusively on the season finale, because it was very clear that there was no room for mistakes at the Hockenheimring.
“We did a really good job with second place on the grid in the first qualifying session and laid the foundations for success. The first race was then like riding a tiger to the end…
“I made a really good start. Things were fairly close initially. There was a slight contact on the approach to the Mercedes Arena. I immediately gave it some opposite lock to avoid a spin. It was a tough fight with my team-mate. However, I lost two places as a result.
“My speed was really good, and I was able to edge into second place over the course of several laps. I overtook in the Parabolica and finished second. Eighth place in the second race was enough to wrap up the title as European championship runner-up before season’s end.”
