Günther: Double podium for the history books
Successful trip to the Nürburgring
Maximilian Günther returned to the fray in fine form. After having a tough time recently at the foreign leg in Slovakia, the Deutsche Post Speed Academy protégé was back at full strength. Maxi achieved podiums in two of the three races during the sixth Formel ADAC weekend. Another milestone in his career: The 17-year-old secured podiums 18 and 19, making him the second most successful driver in the seven-year history of the series for juniors. Maximilian is still placed second in the championship.
Back on the podium – does that give you an extra boost?
Maximilian has had to wait six races before returning to the podium. An unfamiliar feeling, since the Mücke Motorsport driver is usually a podium regular. In 42 starts in the Formel ADAC so far, he has finished in the top three in almost half of all the races. “The weekend at the Nürburgring was good but not excellent,” said Maximilian, putting things in a nutshell. His performance in qualifying was not perfect in tricky weather conditions. Two P5s on the grid were the result. Maxi: “More would have been possible from a pure speed point of view.”
He proved his driving skill class in the second race despite strong rain and was even in contention for the win. Maximilian told us: “I was much faster than the driver in front of me and intended to use my speed advantage to take victory. And so, I took a gamble that did not pay off, but third place was still okay.” His second podium finish followed on Sunday in the dry. “After experiencing problems with balance in the first race, we managed to improve setup considerably, and I’m satisfied with the way the race turned out,” said Maxi, acknowledging his team’s efforts.
Still placed second in the championship standings. Is winning the title still possible?
Maxi’s terse reply: “Anything is possible.” He has a deficit of 71 points on the leader. There are 130 points on the table until the season finale, so is the young schoolboy already looking for his calculator? “No, that stays in my bag,” said Maximilian, staying cool. “Of course, the championship is important to me, but I never tot up individual points. I’ll continue to take one race at a time and do my best. We’ll work the sums out at the end. And let’s be honest, I can’t do more than win races, anyway.”
Maxi’s lessons from the Eifel
1. “Crazy Eifel weather is just a myth? No way…”
2. “Don’t let outside factors drive you mad. I’ll remain focused on myself and not keep looking at the standings.”
3. “An upward trend was clearly discernible here at the Nürburgring, so let’s go for it!”
What now?
Next stop: The Sachsenring. Maximilian will be racing with Formel ADAC at the well established track on the weekend of September 19th-21st. He already knows from last season what standing on the podium feels like there. “The Sachsenring is really special,” said the current championship runner-up. “There are constant changes in elevation, first uphill then downhill, just like a roller coaster. There are some fast turns and a number of full-throttle passages, so finding your rhythm is important. Overtaking is possible, but qualifying is vital for success in the further course of the weekend.”
Foto: ADAC Formel Masters