Return to Slovakia ends with charge and finish in the points

Maxi back at full throttle from summer break

Summer break over: Maximilian Günther is back in the thick of the action in the Formel ADAC. The 17-year-old contested the fifth race weekend of the 2014 season, as the high-calibre junior series guested at the Slovakia Ring. Maxi met the challenge with an extra dose of motivation after winning the second assessment period in the Deutsche Post Speed Academy. However, an unfortunate set of circumstances meant that the reigning vice-champion did not finish on the podium – for the first time this season. After a no-fault retirement in the first race and a P4 in the second race, Günther achieved a points-scoring finish in the third race with a strong charge up the field, thus bringing the weekend to a positive conclusion. The young Bavarian continues to occupy second place overall in the championship.

No luck again at the Slovakia Ring – why do things never run smoothly in Slovakia?
Maximilian Günther has contested 13 race weekends in the Formel ADAC taken over two seasons. At only two events has he missed the podium – both times at the Slovakia Ring. It appears that Maxi simply has a problem with the Slovak track. “No, I wouldn’t put it like that,” countered the Mücke Motorsport driver with some conviction. “The two race weekends were completely different. We felt we were well prepared this time but just had some bad luck, unfortunately, and failed to produce the necessary performance. To put things in a nutshell: There were minor glitches everywhere, but that had nothing to do with the track.”

Still second in the championship – is the title still a possibility?
The championship lead has been within Maximilian’s grasp since the beginning the season. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé experienced a minor setback in the title fight at the Slovakia Ring but will not allow that to upset him. Maximilian remains cool: “We still have nine races to go in which there are plenty of points for the taking. The tracks where we were strong in the past are still to come, which is a very good thing. But, of course, we need to analyse together with the team what went wrong in Slovakia. I am absolutely certain that we will soon return to our former strength. I’ll take things one race at a time and will definitely not try to become champion at every twist and turn.”

Maxi’s lessons from Slovakia

1 “Chin up! Bad luck can strike sometimes, but I don’t let it throw me off track.”

2 “Racing is teamwork. You can only be successful when everything goes right. So, let’s go for it!”

3 “The Slovakia weekend has proved once again that you never stop learning.”

What now?

Next stop: the Nürburgring. Maximilian will be racing in the Formel ADAC at the Nürburgring on the weekend of August 29th-31st. “It’s where, last year, I secured my first double poles and finished on the podium twice,” he told us, looking back with fond memories. In the meantime, with eleven pole positions, Maximilian remains the most successful driver in qualifying in the history of the Formel ADAC Masters. Maxi added: “The Nürburgring is a very challenging circuit with its fast corners. Here, we’ll see who is really talented. There are some technical passages that demand the driver’s full concentration. Achieving a good starting position in qualifying is the key to success because there are so few overtaking opportunities. At any rate, I definitely feel well prepared for the three Nürburgring races.”

Foto: ADAC Formel Masters