Temperatures of around 40 degrees, a home race for his team kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport and around 10,000 spectators. Benjamin Mazatis experienced all of this from 3rd to 5th July 2015 at his fourth weekend of the ADAC Formula 4 season. The rookie put in a convincing performance in practice and had high hopes for the races. However, technical problems and a retirement through no fault of his own meant that he only scored one point in the rookie classification. Immediately after the weekend, he travelled to the team headquarters of the McLaren Formula 1 racing team.
Your team's home race was on the programme at the weekend. It got off to a really promising start for you.
We were here for testing last week and it went really well. The set-up was right and the times matched. I was able to transfer that seamlessly into the first practice session at the weekend. My pace was really great. I was 15th and less than three tenths off the top five riders in the field. I was sure that the knot had finally burst and that I could move forwards. I was a bit unlucky with my group in qualifying. It was unbelievably close and even with just a few tenths of a second loss of time, things were really going backwards. Unfortunately, my car wasn't as good as before at that point. In addition, the other group probably had slightly better track conditions and so I ultimately had to settle for two 14th places.
So it continued seamlessly for you. How would you summarise the races?
Unfortunately, I have to get straight to the point: The weekend at the Lausitzring was one to forget. I got off to a good start in the first race and made real progress in the race. I was up to 18th place, but then I had a problem with the brakes and went off the track. Fortunately, I was able to continue, but I couldn't score more than one point for the rookie classification. The second race continued in exactly the same way. On the formation lap, I was stuck in fifth gear and couldn't shift. I tried everything: I restarted the gearbox and tried to programme the gears manually. None of it helped and I had to be towed away before the start. But giving up was not an option. My team fixed the problem and I went out on the track again to do some testing for the third race. Unfortunately, there weren't enough laps to score any points for the rookie classification. I was really fast in the third race and was always able to catch up with the riders in front of me. Unfortunately, there was a contact in the penultimate corner. This probably caused a slow puncture, because the car became more difficult to drive and the lap times slower. A short time later it was over.
Now it's time to take stock. How would you summarise the first half of the ADAC Formula 4 season?
The first four race weekends had everything to offer. My speed in qualifying was definitely a positive. Of course, at the beginning it was mainly about gaining experience because I had never raced in formula racing before. I was constantly faced with new challenges such as wet races and difficult situations. An important process, because that's the only way I can learn and improve.
You talk about improvements. Where do you see the greatest potential for improvement in yourself?
It gets easier with every kilometre - that's completely normal. Of course, after four race weekends I no longer see the big steps that were there at the beginning. Now it's all about the finer details. I find a little bit in every single corner and know better and better how to get the car through the individual corners faster. It's all about the last few metres and hundredths of a second. I now know the team, the car and the individual functions very well and everything is becoming more and more routine.
Now it's time for the summer break in the ADAC Formula 4. Immediately after the weekend in Lausitz, however, things continued at a rapid pace for you...
That's right. On the Monday immediately after the race, we travelled to the McLaren Performance Academy in England, where I have been a member of the development squad for two years. At the two-day workshop in Woking, I once again learnt useful things that will benefit me in my future career in motorsport. On the first day, self-control before, during and after a race weekend was on the agenda. From the warm-up to further nutrition tips and the mental aspect, I once again had a very interesting programme under the guidance of the experts from McLaren. On the second day, I was allowed to test in the simulator. It's incredible how real racing feels on the screen! A really great experience. I still have a few exams to do before the end of the school year at secondary school and the summer holidays. After the challenging first half of the season in the ADAC Formula 4, learning is now my top priority.