Rain, thick fog, and bright sunshine – Benjamin Mazatis's vision wasn't obscured by any of it at the seventh ADAC Formula 4 race weekend in Oschersleben. Competing as part of the DTM, the kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport driver battled tirelessly, showcasing impressive overtakes and strong duels.
In qualifying, all drivers started together in a single group for the first time. How difficult was it to hold your own on the track?
With a starting grid of 35 drivers, it's naturally important to always find the right gap for a clear lap and not get stuck in traffic. I improved by another four tenths compared to practice. However, because I was struggling with oversteer and my competitors also improved their times, only starting positions 22 and 19 remained for the first two races. In Oschersleben, things are so incredibly close that just a few hundredths can decide two or three positions.
Despite the problems in qualifying, you showed a strong comeback in the first race.
Unfortunately, she started from further back than I had calculated. I stayed still at the start and, although I reacted really well and lost very little time, I was last. One of my teammates had similar problems, which is why a technical reason could also have been the cause. Then it was a case of turning it up and closing the gap to the front. Despite a bit of understeer, I was travelling really fast, but I would have needed a safety car period to close the gap – unfortunately, that didn't happen. The positive thing was: overtaking is really difficult in Oschersleben, and yet I managed some really good manoeuvres.
On Sunday, good manoeuvres were also your goal. Unfortunately, you didn't have much opportunity to do so.
The second race was really annoying. The conditions were quite difficult because it wasn't really dry and not really wet - every corner was an unknown. Finding the right line was not easy. On the second lap I was between two rivals and therefore couldn't brake on the ideal line. At the highest brake pressure everything was still okay, but at medium pressure my left front wheel stopped. I went straight into the gravel and the race was over. Before the third race, it was a long wait to see if there would even be a start. The crash barriers were damaged after an accident in the DTM and the lights only turned green for us at 18:30. It was important to stay focussed despite the long wait. The light drizzle and an end plate that had fallen off the front wing of my car without touching it added to the challenge. I started from 24th place and held my position until the finish line. Certainly not a dream result, but okay in these difficult conditions.
On Friday you met DTM driver Maximilian Götz. How did that come about?
That was really cool because Maxi came up to me! I was in the pit box of the DTM team kftzeile24 Mücke Motorsport, for which he races. He was one of my first instructors in the BMW Talent Cup. I was a bit surprised he still remembered me, as it's been a long time and he's now a DTM driver. It was fun to chat with him again.
Before qualifying on Saturday, you were even a star in front of the camera. Please tell us a little about that...
Bavarian Broadcasting is filming an exciting report with me and two other drivers. It's designed to highlight not only performance on the track, but also the hard work behind the scenes. The team was on-site in Oschersleben and I got to explain my Formula 4 car in more detail. It felt a bit strange at first, but I quickly felt comfortable, just started talking and completely forgot about the camera. I'm very excited to see what the report will look like in the end. The feature will be broadcast on Saturday, October 3rd. I am very grateful that such a large and well-known TV channel is giving me the opportunity to present myself as a person. It is enormously important in motorsport to generate as much interest as possible and thus win sponsors.
But on the weekend of the broadcast, you won't be on the sofa in front of the TV, but in Hockenheim at the season finale. Are you looking forward to the final spurt?
Absolutely! I haven't had the chance to test the ADAC Formula 4 in Hockenheim yet, but I see good chances for a great result. On the Thursday before the weekend, there's a joint test session for all teams where we can fine-tune the setup precisely for the conditions and the track. The circuit itself is superb and the Motodrom offers a unique stadium atmosphere. I can hardly wait to drive into it for the first time with my car and see the enthusiastic spectators in the stands.