Benjamin, what did you learn on your second race weekend in the ADAC Formula 4?
Quite a lot! After all, I'm learning with every kilometre I drive in my first season in formula racing. After qualifying and the early retirement in the first race following a collision through no fault of my own, I would have liked to bury my head in the sand for a moment. But I told myself: tick it off, move on. In the following two races, I made up a total of 13 places. That shows that I can definitely move forward. I just need to work on my qualifying performance. But I have a good team around me and I'm sure that I'll do better next time.
Qualifying is one of the keys to success in the ADAC Formula 4. What went wrong at the Red Bull Ring?
Things went really well for me in the first few laps. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to improve my lap times as much as some of my rivals towards the end. I was relatively happy with my sector times - I just wasn't quite able to get the speed over the whole lap. The individual sectors don't count in the end, but they show me that I could have been further up the field. Unfortunately, I mostly had to manage without the slipstream of someone in front of me, which cost me a few tenths. We'll have to work on that in the future.
After the difficult qualifying session, you had to start the race from the back of the field. What was that like in a field of almost 40 cars?
When you start from the back of the field, it's all about getting a good start and getting through the first few corners in one piece. I managed that really well in all three races - I also got off to a good start in the first race until the car behind me hit the rear and destroyed my car. In the chaotic third race with two race stoppages, I improved by eight places. If the race had lasted longer, a better result would have been possible. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for points at the Red Bull Ring, but the results don't reflect my performance. That gives me a lot of self-confidence.
Hundreds of thousands of fans were able to watch your three races live on Sport1 at the weekend. How did that feel?
The interest in ADAC Formula 4 is enormous. Of course, we drivers also benefit from this. It makes me a bit proud to hear from friends and acquaintances that they have seen me live on television. This makes me even more motivated to achieve good results and points. Here at the Red Bull Ring, some of my friends from home came to visit and cheered me on from the grandstands. That was a great thing and I would like to thank them for their support.
In a fortnight' time, you'll be back at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit. What are your expectations for the race weekend in Belgium?
I tested at Spa for the first time last year and I enjoyed the track right from the start. I'm expecting a lot there. Fast corners suit my driving style, so Spa should suit me better than the Red Bull Ring. At the season opener in Oschersleben, I was particularly fast in the demanding corners, such as the Triple or the Schöller-S. And there are courage corners at Spa. And there are plenty of bold corners at Spa...