An almost perfect ADAC Formula 4 weekend from US Racing saw the them claim the Teams and Rookie titles, having already locked down the Drivers last weekend. All eyes would be on David Schumacher at Hockenheim as he secured the rookie crown, under the watchful eye from father and team boss Ralf Schumacher.
In the teams battle, Charles Weerts picked up the victory in race one and a further podium in the finale for Van Amersfoort Racing, though could not match champion Lirim Zendeli, who picked up a double win, to end the season on ten victories.
Elsewhere, Liam Lawson would go on to secure second in the points thanks to a double podium with Frederik Vesti and Mick Wishofer also picking up silverware. The final race also saw Leon Koehler secure his first overall podium and maiden rookie win for the BWT Mucke Motorsport team.
RACE 1
Winner: Charles Weerts – Van Amersfoort Racing
It was a dramatic start for a number of drivers, with four cars spinning or taking to the escape road all on separate occasions. Up at the front, Zendeli was not prepared to spend the race behind Liam Lawson, with the pair swapping places in the opening two laps. Zendeli came out on top, but this charge came to an end though as he was given a drive through for a jump-start.
Lawson was left up front, only for Charles Weerts to catch in the closing laps, driving around the outside of the Mercedes Arena to inherit the lead. The Belgian broke away winning by almost 4 seconds as Lawson was forced to defend his second place from Frederik Vesti, completing an all Van Amersfoort Racing podium.
Mick Wishofer recovered from his off to take fourth. Enzo Fittipaldi crossed the line fifth, narrowly ahead of the charging David Schumacher. A deflated Zendeli and Petr Ptacek rounded out the top eight after Nicklas Krutten was handed a drive through penalty.
An all-VAR race one podium could not save the teams title bid. (Credit: Gruppe C Photography)
RACE 2
Winner: Lirim Zendeli – US Racing-CHRS
Another dramatic start saw contact between Enzo Fittipaldi and Frederik Vesti around the Parabolica, taking the Dane out of the race as Fittipaldi continued at the back. Meanwhile, David Schumacher initially put a dent in his title hopes after picking up a puncture when Lucas Alecco Roy ran into the back off him, though recovered to the back of the order to secure the rookie crown.
The safety car came out to clear the loose debris as Lirim Zendeli, who had again edged out Lawson on the opening lap led the field, breaking away. Mick Wishofer soon caught the struggling Lawson and despite a few self-inflicted mistakes, temporarily costing him the position, took his sixth podium of the season.
After his race one win, Charles Weerts continued his Hockenheim charge, with a fourth place finish ahead of top rookie Caio Collett. A line of rookies followed him over the line, with Leon Koehler ahead of Gianluca Petecof as Niklas Krutten could only finish eighth (fourth in class). The result was enough to continue the title fight until the final round tomorrow as Schumacher finished two laps down.
US Racing’s Ralf Schumacher celebrates with Lirim Zendeli after the crew win the teams championship (Credit: Gruppe C Photography)
RACE 3
Winner: Lirim Zendeli – US Racing-CHRS
With Nicklas Krutten starting at the front, the omus was on him to end the season in the best possible light after sacrificing the rookie title. Sadly for the young German, the tyres were not favourable for him, quickly dropping back.
In the overall race, Charles Weerts quickly found himself in the lead, extending his gap in the early stages before turning his attention to the charging Lirim Zendeli. The champion had started eighth on the reverse grid, but proved his title-winning ability, getting the better run off of the hairpin to collect his tenth win of the year. Rounding out the podium would be Leon Koehler, recording his first podium and rookie win.
Rain would neutralise the finale behind the safety car stopping Schumacher’s immaculate rise through the order in fifth, after almost catching Gianluca Petecof. Another Brazilian Prema driver Caio Collet followed him home as Krutten’s dire day ended in seventh ahead of Mick Wishofer, who had dropped back after a trip through the gravel on the second lap.
The result completed a clean sweep for US Racing, picking up the Drivers, Rookie and Teams championship.
Final Results: Zendeli – 348 / Lawson – 234 / Fittipaldi – 223 / Vesti – 211 / Weerts – 195 / Wishofer – 160 / Caldwell – 125 / Krutten – 108
Rookie Standings: Schumacher – 332 / Krutten – 301 / Petecof – 232 / Alders – 202 / Koehler – 196 / Cohen – 160
Teams Standings: US Racing-CHRS – 562 / Van Amersfoort Racing – 561 / Prema Powerteam – 416 / Mucke Motorsport – 275 / Neuhauser Racing – 104 / KIC Driving Acedemy – 51 / KDC Racing – 49
