The 2014 ATS Formula 3 Cup season is over. Champion Markus Pommer from Lotus, runner up Nabil Jeffri from Motopark and Rookie champion Indy Dontje from Team Lotus have successfully completed the general qualification for motorsports and will now take the next step in their career. The final race of the season was all about Malaysian Weiron Tan from Van Amersfoort Racing though. He claimed his second win of the weekend. Dontje finished second; Briton Sam MacLeod from Van Amersfoort Racing in third place completed the podium line-up. The race today in the support programme of the ADAC GT Masters at the 4.574-km Hockenheimring was the 24th and final race of the 2014 season.
Champion Markus Pommer from Neckarsulm (Lotus / Dallara F311 Volkswagen) did not make a good start. He dropped from second to the end. Breaking away from pole position, Malaysian Nabil Jeffri (Motopark / Dallara F311 Volkswagen) was put under tremendous pressure by his compatriot Weiron Tan (Van Amersfoort Racing / Dallara F311 Volkswagen). Dutchman Indy Dontje (Lotus / Dallara F311 Volkswagen) followed in third place, behind him Sam MacLeod from Great Britain (Van Amersfoort Racing / Dallara F311 Volkswagen) and Pommer, who was not ready to settle for fifth place. The Champion stayed on his tail.
Jeffri finished the season as an unlucky fellow after ten minutes. The leader had to retire due to a technical failure. Tan benefited, setting his sight on scoring the second victory of this weekend. It was not the race of the champion, who had to give way to Dane Nicolai Sylvest (JBR Motorsport & Engineering / Dallara F311 Volkswagen). Pommer retired with eight minutes to go in the race in the pit due to technical issues. Consequently, Columbian Andrés Méndez (Lotus / Dallara F311 Volkswagen) moved up to a good fifth place.
In the end, Tan won the final race of 2014. The Malaysian finishes the season in an outstanding manner after a difficult start. Rookie Champion Dontje is the second winner. MacLeod follows in third place. Three rookies on the podium.
Weiron Tan: “We struggled a lot with the car at the start of the season. After the summer break the team had worked out the problem. Then it was up to me to make the best of it. Podium!”Indy Dontje: “I am really happy, I am the rookie champion! We worked hard and claimed the pole position thanks to a good qualifying and three second places. Thank you to the team, they gave me such a great car.” We were able to demonstrate what we are capable of!Sam MacLeod: “What a disappointing weekend. We came here as third in the overall ranking and struggled with the tyres. My pace in this race was really good but overtaking is really difficult here. The third place is ok. Still, I am disappointed that I'm not third in the championship.”
ATS Formula 3 Cup rookie rankingIndy Dontje is the indisputable winner of the rookie ranking. The 21-year old had led the ranking from the start and did not relinquish his first place until the last racing weekend (365 points). Sam MacLeod with bad luck in the first race of the weekend had to settle for second and 320 points. Nicolai Sylvest grabbed third in the rookie ranking, having scored 272 points.
2014 ATS Formula 3 Cup team rankingEven though Team Lotus had decided the team ranking at he penultimate weekend of the season in their favour (429 Punkte), Van Amersfoort Racing caught up thanks to the two victories of Weiron Tan. The team finish the season in second place, having scored 316 points. Motopark follows in third place in the team ranking (279 points).
Points scored in the 2014 ATS Formula 3 Cup season (top ten):1. Markus Pommer / GER 4242. Nabil Jeffri / MYS 2773. Indy Dontje / NDL 2664. Sam MacLeod / GBR 2435. Weiron Tan / MYS 1826. Nicolai Sylvest / DNK 1827. Nikita Zlobin / RUS 1178. Andrés Méndez / COL 1099. Maximilian Hackl / DEU 6910. Santino Ferrucci / USA 33
Off the trackThe members of the board of the Formula 3 Association successfully used the weekend to set a preliminary course for 2015. Several options that are to ensure attractiveness and planning security for the teams were discussed together with the teams. The team representatives gave the board a lot of homework. “I am really pleased that we are working together in a constructive and open manner in order to ensure the continuity of a professional German Formula 3 series,” says Chairman Andreas Meyer. “In the next two weeks we will surely be able to provide first results and a schedule for 2015.” The Formula 3 Association is definitely optimistic about the future of the ATS Formula 3 Cup.
