ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Zimmermann on pole for first timeGrid penalty bumps title contender Mikkel Jensen down the fieldJensen: "Victory is still possible from fourth place."
Slovakia Ring - Qualifying - 9th August 2014Weather: Sunny, 28°CCircuit length: 5,922 metresPole Race 1: Tim ZimmermannPole Race 2: Mikkel JensenMikkel Jensen (19, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing) made an impressive return from the summer break in the Formel ADAC. The Neuhauser Racing driver secured pole position in qualifying at the Slovakia Ring. The leader in the championship standings covered the 5.992 km circuit in 2:08.258 minutes on his fastest lap. However, Jensen has a three-place grid penalty after an incident in practice on Friday. And so, Jensen's Neuhauser Racing team-mate Tim Zimmermann (17, Germany, Neuhauser Racing) will be on pole for the start of Race 1 (live stream available on Saturday at 2:30 pm: adac.de/formel-adac). This will be the first time in his open-wheel racing career that the ADAC Sports Foundation protégé has tackled a race from the top grid position. Zimmermann secured the second best lap time of 2:08.791 minutes in qualifying. He was 0.533 seconds down on his Danish team-mate. Fabian Schiller (17, Germany, Schiller Motorsport) qualified in third place behind the Neuhauser duo with a lap time of 2:08.911 minutes. However, after receiving another warning for dangerous driving in qualifying, his fifth of the season, the 17-year-old drops down to eighth on the grid. Rookie Eriksson on front row Joel Eriksson (16, Sweden, Lotus), fourth fastest in qualifying, benefits from the penalties handed to drivers higher up the field, moving up to share the front row with Zimmermann. The Swedish series newcomer consiged Maximilian Günther (17, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) to fifth place in qualifying by finishing two hundredths of a second up on him. Günther is currently placed second in the championship standings and, just like his title rival Jensen, was handed a penalty after practice on Friday. He will start the first race from tenth position after his five-place grid penalty. Lotus rookie Dennis Marschall (17, Germany, Lotus) thus takes third place directly in front of Jensen. Philip Hamprecht (17, Germany, ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.), Ralph Boschung (16, Switzerland, Lotus), Igor Walilko (16, Poland, JBR Motorsport & Engineering) and Schiller complete the Top Eight on the grid for the season's 13th race. Jensen on pole in second race Jensen will have the best starting position in the second race, which gets under way on Sunday at 10:40 am. For the second consecutive time in a qualifying after his double pole at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, the title contender posted both the fastest and the second fastest lap time. Once again this year, the ADAC is making a live stream available for fans unable to watch the three races live at the track in Slovakia. The free service is available from the official ADAC Motorsport website at www.adac.de/formel-adac. Mikkel Jensen (19, Denmark, Neuhauser Racing), Pole Race 1 and 2: "These two pole positions are a very important result, especially in view of my penalty in the first race, which means I'll be starting from grid position four. The result is still positive as regards the championship, because my main rival, Maximilian Günther, is only tenth on the grid. I'm very pleased with the terrific team work at Neuhauser Racing. We planned it so that both me and Tim would each have four laps slipstreaming. I had two decent laps and that was exactly what was needed. I'm not too worried about tyre wear in the race despite the hot track temperatures. We've seen during the season that our car is at least as good as those of the competition, if not better, where tyres are concerned. I'm certain that winning from fourth place is still possible, using slipstreaming. My goal is clear: I aim to win the first and second race and extend my lead in the championship."
