Nicklas Nielsen wins nail-biting second race
Tight fight for the lead keeps tensions up right until the end.
Despite the fight for the lead getting tight, it was US Racing driver Nicklas Nielsen who stayed ahead from lights to flag in the second race. Nielsen's team-mate from last year, Felipe Drugovich (Van Amersfoort Racing) came in second, followed by US Racing driver Fabio Scherer.
After the field got their first taste of racing in 2017, the 25 drivers went to full speed in the following race, resulting in a classic first-corner chaos. Neuhauser Racing's Michael Waldherr was one of the victims and even caused a red flag after his left rear wheel was stuck on top of his race car.
"As we were not able to repeat our good performance from testing in qualifying, the weekend results, especially on a track like Oschersleben, were pretty much determined since Friday. Not a perfect start, but the season is long and the motivation and belief in our potential remains unbroken", said the 20-year-old.
For Michael Waldherr (Neuhauser Racing) the race was over before it really started. ©Joan Codina/ Foto Formula K
Swiss Fabio Scherer kept a clear head in the chaos and was able to get the lead which was destroyed by the red flag rule, reinstating the running order from the lap before. After going back to racing with just 20 minutes left, the top four drivers (Nielsen, Drugovich, Scherer and Vips) were in a close fight.
But there was also the duel between Kami Laliberté (Van Amersfoort Racing) and Jonathan Aberdein (Team Motopark), driving side-by-side through the first few sections was breathtaking. In the end, it was the Canadian who gained advantage and finished seventh in front of Aberdein.
Prema Powerteam drivers Juri Vips, Juan Manuel Correa and Marcus Armstrong as well as Lirim Zendeli (Mücke Motorsport) and David Malukas (Motopark) completed the Top 10. The first of the non-points scoring finishers was Motopark’s Leonard Hoogenboom.
Race winner Nicklas Nielsen (middle) with Felipe Drugovich (left) and Fabio Scherer as well as Rookie winner Mick Wishofer (on the very right). ©Gruppe C GmbH/ ADAC Motorsport
Team Piro Sport Interdental’s Cedric Piro also experienced an unfortunate way to end his race, with the number 98 parking in an emergency exit next to the track, five minutes before the end of the race.
Even worse was the situation for Oliver Söderström (Mücke Motorsport) who was forced into the gravel at turn one by team-mate Sophia Flörsch. The Swede was unable to finish the race and dropped to 21st whilst Flörsch finished 13th.
The Rookie of the race was Mick Wishofer (Lechner Racing) who crossed the finish line in 14th place. "ADAC Formula 4 is a strong championship, which is especially tough as a Rookie. But if I continue to work hard, I can definitely improve which is my aim", he said
You can watch the race again here (please note only German commentary available): youtu.be/BmEGVKBtE6g
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