Δελτία Τύπου - F4 German Series Early Season Review: Cheap Thrills

F4 German Series Early Season Review: Cheap Thrills

I love cheap thrills...

Lap 12 of 20 at the Nürburgring Sprint Race, the tension could not be any higher. The three defining driver of the F4 German Series cross the line only separated by three tenths of each other. Overtaking both Mike Sollfrank and Elodan Eagle, Elisabet Alemany takes the lead with two sensational overtaking manoeuvres. But can she hold on to bounce back in the championship?

While the equipment of the F4 cars might not be as sophisticated as the premier MRC Series, the racing has been extraordinary. With five from twenty races of the season now completed, it is time to review what has been an exceptionally thrilling season indeed.

Round 1: Sachsenring
Twenty young and talented drivers prepared themselves for Qualifying at the challenging Sachsenring, some of them returned to the grid from the previous season, however there was also an influx of new drivers. All eyes were on the defending champion Elodan Eagle who was determined to make a statement about his title ambitions. It was a close call but it was not the German that took pole position - Elisabet Alemany grabbed P1 by 0.045 seconds with the young German Mike Sollfrank taking P3, half a second off the front. Little did we know that this would set the pecking order for the upcoming races.

It seemed as though Alemany could hold on to victory in the Sachsenring Sprint Race, staying in the lead after the start and defending the top position until Lap 17 of 23. Eagle made clear that he was the man to beat, managing his race well and out-braking the Spanish driver at the sweeping Turn 13 in dramatic fashion. Alemany was so surprised by this move that also Sollfrank used this opportunity to breeze past, relegating the Spaniard to P3. Although Sollfrank was able to stay in Eagle's slipstream, it was the reinging champion that lifted the silverware in the opening round of the season.

Sollfrank undid his wrongs at the start of the Feature Race and took the lead off Eagle on the run to Turn 1. Pushing hard and extending the lead to five seconds beofore the round of pitstops, Sollfrank comfortably managed the race. Eagle seemed as though he settled for second place and himself held a three second advantage to Alemany before the pitstops. What seemed to be a rather quite race turned into a race of attrition - Alemany had to retire with a suspension failure on Lap 25, promoting Herbert Stumpf into third place. The prospect of a potential podium for Stumpf did not last long, having a huge off at the quick Turn 10 section and triggering the Safety Car with seven laps to go. Racing resumed with three laps to go and albeit Sollfrank's advantage disappeared with the full course caution, he took his first victory of the year, leaving Eagle in second and Marvin Schöneberg in third.


Round 2: Hockenheim
Qualifying saw some very tricky conditions for the grid, with drizzle spicing up the session. When the chequered flag fell, the specatators did witness another upset. Again, it was not the defending champion but Elisabet Alemany that took already her second pole position of the year. Eagle could not get a lap together and lined up second on the grid, with Sollfrank nine tenths off pole position in third.

The Sprint Race at Hockenheim got off to a roaring start as positions between the Top-3 drivers changed back and forth. While Alemany managed to retain the lead after the start, Eagle slipstreamed past the Spaniard at the back straight to take first position on Lap 3. Though not for long as Alemany returned to the top with a similiar slipstream move at the Parabolica. As Eagle attempted to put pressure Alemany, it took three laps until the German seized the lead again, a move that would seal the second win of the season in the end. Alemany did feel the pressure and lost second place to Sollfrank on Lap 13 but quickly retook the position due to Sollfrank running wide at the hairpin.

The roles were reversed at the Feature Race. Eagle confidently defended the lead, three laps later Alemany snatched first position and remained in the sweet spot until Lap 15. Eagle stayed in close proximity of the Spaniard and dared to make a move at the back straight. What we witnessed in the next few laps was a spectacle unlike any other. Multiple lead changes between Alemany and Eagle kept the fans on their toes. After the pitstops, Sollfrank also managed to close the gap. Alemany soon was out of contention, making a huge mistake at the hairpin and falling back to P3. With eight laps to go, Sollfank was now the challenger for leading Eagle and made a move on Lap 29. Once more, the lead changed various times in the following laps but Sollfrank held on to P1 with a great manoeuvre with on Lap 33 of 36, sealing his second victory of the season.


Round 3: Nürburgring
Another Qualifying, another familiar battle: Alemany and Eagle exchanged fastest laps one more time, however, it was the champion that took his first pole position of the year by 0.169 seconds with Sollfrank once again settling for third, eight tenths off leading Eagle. But what would the race have in store for the fans at the traditional Nürburgring?

The spectators attending the Sprint Race were not disappointed. Even if the bar for exciting racing was already set high by the opening rounds of the championship, the 20 Laps at the Nürburgring could not have been scripted any better. Eagle took the lead off the start line and appeared to run away with the win until a mistake at the Dunlop hairpin brought Sollfrank and Alemany back in contention. From Lap 6 onwards, Eagle, Alemany and Sollfrank could not be separated and changed positions numerous times. The Spaniard lost her composure with a huge error to the gravel trap on Lap 16, which left only Eagle and Sollfrank battling for victory. The race was decided with three laps to go, when Eagle overtook Sollfrank on the main straight and cleverly defended the lead until the chequered flag as Alemany secured a step on the podium at least. But what could have been...

... to be continued ...


Standings after 5/20 Races:
1 - E. Eagle (254 points, 3 wins, 5 podiums, 1 pole)
2 - M. Sollfrank (240 points, 2 wins, 5 podiums, 0 poles)
3 - E. Alemany (192 points, 0 wins, 4 podiums, 2 poles)
4 - D. Stoppe (174 points, 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 poles)
5 - M. Schöneberg (172 points, 0 wins, 1 podium, o poles)