ADAC Formula 4

Eriksson Takes Pole in Rain Soaked Spa

1 Mins read

Qualifying for the Spa-Francochamps round of the ADAC Formula 4 season saw the field mixed up thanks to rain. The result eventually saw Joel Eriksson take the pole in his Motopark car.

Group A started in damp conditions. All the drivers were straight out, except Jonathon Cecotto, who decided to wait for free space before leaving the pits. His decision paid off as the Venezuelan went fastest for the first few minutes of the session.

It was Janneau Esmeijer who dominated the early part of the session, but the times came down quickly with Joel Eriksson soon taking control of the standings. After having an impressive practice pace, Guan Yu Zhou continued his form but was unable to clinch pole with Eriksson dominating, beating the rookie by over 0.7 seconds.

After four laps from the runners started to find the peak as the rain affected track stopped any driver from improving. Cecotto and Marylin Niederhauser stayed out, but they were unable to find any extra pace as the session was timed out.

In Group B, it was clear that the fastest time would be slower than the fastest in Group A, this meant the fastest driver would have to settle for second. It was the van Amersfoort Racing drivers who set the early pace as Joey Mawson and the returning Harrison Newey went top, soon beaten by Marek Bockmann.

Another driver who had set quick times early on; Tim Zimmermann was not able to get back to the pits after the red flag came out. This meant him and Mauro Auricchio would quickly tumble down the order after the restart.

In the latter part of the session, it was Ralf Aron, the fastest driver from the morning practice session, to set the pace. Unfortunetly for Aron he would be beaten by Robert Schwartzman in the dying moments of the session.

Overall, the grid for Race 1 sees Eriksson on pole ahead of Schwartzman, Zhou, Aron, Dienst and series rookie Lando Norris, who will be competing for the Mucke Motorsport team this weekend as Thomas Preining does not return.

For Race two, the grid is similar with Eriksson still on pole but is joined on the front row by Aron. Behind them, Esmeijer leads Schwartzman, Zhou and Norris.

Credit: Nick Smith / TheImageTeam.com
1347 posts

About author
Single-Seater Specialist who worked for TCF from 2015-19. Come finding me wandering the paddock.
Articles
Related posts
ADAC Formula 4Formula 3GB3Italian F4

Double F4 champion, GB3 race-winner Bearman joins Ferrari Driver Academy

2 Mins read
ADAC and Italian F4 champion, and GB3 race-winner Oliver Bearman has joined the Ferrari Driver Academy. He becomes the second British FDA driver after Callum Ilott.
ADAC Formula 4Formula 2Formula 3Formula 4Formula Regional European ChampionshipRising Stars

Who is Gianluca Petecof? The Brazilian set for F2 in 2021

4 Mins read
Gianluca Petecof will be joining the Formula 2 grid for 2021 with the rebranded Alpine team, TCF takes a look in how he has got to where he is today.
ADAC Formula 4Formula 3InterviewsItalian F4

Interview: Red Bull Junior Hauger Aiming to Be First Norwegian to Race in Formula 1

3 Mins read
Speaking to The Checkered Flag, Dennis Hauger wants to write his name in history by becoming the first Norwegian Formula 1 driver.