Summing up the 2017 season in facts and figures

The ADAC Formula 4 season ended with a real thriller of a fixture at the Hockenheimring, as the title was decided in the very last of the 21 races held this year. Estonia’s Juri Vips (17, Prema Powerteam) secured his first title win with a lead of just 4.5 points on ADAC Formula 4 newcomer Marcus Armstrong (17, New Zealand, Prema Powerteam) and Felipe Drugovich (17, Brazil, Van Amersfoort Racing). The Brazilian won seven races this season and now occupies third place in the records of ADAC Formula 4 drivers with the most wins. Mick Wishofer (17, Austria, Lechner Racing) dominated the Rookie category. Italian Prema Powerteam again won the team standings from Dutch outfit Van Amersfoort Racing and Team ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg eV.

Facts and figures to round off the third ADAC Formula 4 season of 2017

Some 33 drivers from 19 countries, including ten from Germany, lined up to contest the seven race weekends. Six young talents from four countries (three from Germany) contested their first season as rookies in motor racing.

One female and 32 male drivers drove for 13 teams from six countries. Most teams (6) are from Germany, but two come from Austria, two from Italy and one from each of the following three places – the Netherlands, Switzerland and Portugal.

Ten drivers shared the wins between them. With the exception of Fabio Scherer (18, Switzerland, US Racing) who won a race in 2016, the rest all took their maiden wins in the ADAC Formula 4. Felipe Drugovich won seven times. ADAC Formula 4 newbie Marcus Armstrong and Lirim Zendeli (17, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) each stood three times on the top rung of the podium. Champion Juri Vips notched up two wins. The following all took one win each – the two Danes, rookie champion Nicklas Nielsen (20, Denmark, US Racing) and Frederik Vesti (15, Denmark, Van Amersfoort Racing), Kami Laliberté (18, Canada, Van Amersfoort Racing), Fabio Scherer (20, Germany, US Racing) and Artem Petrov (17, Russia, Van Amersfoort Racing), who secured his maiden victory in the last race of the season at Hockenheim.

Contesting his debut season, championship runner-up Marcus Armstrong achieved more podiums than anyone else, eleven in all. Drugovich finished on the podium nine and Juri Vips seven times. The latter really excelled with 20 finishes in all in the Top Ten and was very consistent, only failing to score points on one occasion. Some 18 drivers from 12 countries finished on the podium.

The 2016 champion, Joey Mawson (21, Australia, Van Amersfoort Racing) remains the most successful ADAC Formula 4 driver ever with 15 victories in all (five in 2015 and ten in 2016). The 2015 championship winner, Marvin Dienst (Germany), is next in the record books with eight wins in 2015. Felipe Drugovich worked his way up into joint third place with his seven victories this season; Joel Eriksson (19, Sweden, Motopark) also achieved seven wins in 2015.

In the rookie stakes, the most wins went to Mick Wishofer (17, Austria, Lechner Racing), who finished on top eleven times in this class for drivers without any previous motor racing experience. Wishofer swept the board in the rookie category at both Oschersleben and the Nürburgring, a feat which has previously only ever been achieved before in the ADAC Formula 4 by David Beckmann, twice, and Mike David Ortmann once in 2015.

Sophia Flörsch showed her worth in the ADAC Formula 4 with her podiums, ensuring that her name will be remembered this season. The ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V. driver achieved the first podium ever for a female driver in the history of the junior series with her third place at the Sachsenring. She did it again just one week later at the Hockenheimring. She finished in the Top Ten ten times in all this season and proved that she is fast with the fastest lap in Races 20 and 21. Competing at Oschersleben in 2016, she also became the first female driver in ADAC Formula 4 history ever to lead a race.

Ten different drivers started from pole position. Marcus Armstrong led the field away on the first lap five times. Felipe Drugovich, Lirim Zendeli and Kami Laliberté took three poles each. Two poles went to Julian Hanses and one to Nicklas Nielsen, Michael Waldherr, Louis Gachot (17, Great Britain, Van Amersfoort Racing), David Malukas (15, USA, Motopark) and Artem Petrov. The pole-sitter also went on to win eight times from pole position (2x Armstrong, 2x Drugovich, 2x Zendeli, 1x Nielsen, 1x Laliberté).

The lead changed hands the most times in the ninth race. At the Red Bull Ring, David Malukas, guest entrant Kush Maini (16, India, Bhaitech Racing) and the eventual winner, Juri Vips, were all in P1 at some point.

In the closest finish to any race this season, Juri Vips came home just 0.473 seconds up on Nicklas Nielsen in the third round at the Red Bull Ring. Brazil’s Felipe Drugovich won by the biggest margin in the second race at the Nürburgring with a lead of 5.648 seconds on Lirim Zendeli in second place.

Felipe Drugovich led for the highest number of laps, notching up 99 laps in P1. Marcus Armstrong (64) and Lirim Zendeli (50) come next in this particular set of statistics.

18-year-old Swiss driver Fabio Scherer set the record for the highest average speed of 172.5 km/h in the second race at the Red Bull Ring.

Felipe Drugovich posted the fastest race lap the most number of times, six in all. Fabio Scherer was the quickest three times, Frederik Vesti and Sophie Flörsch twice each.

The drivers posted 367 laps altogether in the 21 races held this season on tyres supplied by exclusive partner Pirelli, which equates to a distance of 1,411.285 km.

Reference: https://www.adac-motorsport.de/adac-formel-4/uk/artikel/summing-up-the-2017-season-in-facts-and-figures-wishofer-dominates-rookie-category-242110