Valuable Lessons – Benjamin Mazatis:
The atmosphere was gigantic
Benjamin Mazatis embarked on his Formula racing adventure with his team kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport in Oschersleben.
There were so many fans in the stands. For a young driver like me, that was something really special.
Exciting season start for Benjamin in the new ADAC Formula 4. The first race weekend of the year (24th-26th April) saw Benjamin and his team, kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport, embark on the adventure of Formula racing. In front of 20,000 spectators over the weekend, the Formula rookie gained valuable experience at the wheel of the 160 hp ADAC Formula 4 racing car.
BBenjamin, your first race weekend in the new ADAC Formula 4 is behind you. What will you particularly remember?
First of all, naturally, the unbelievably good atmosphere here in Oschersleben. The atmosphere was gigantic. There were so many fans in the stands. For a young driver like myself, that was something very special. I won't forget that anytime soon - especially since it was my first racing weekend in Formula racing.
Does the atmosphere give you an extra boost in the cockpit too?
No, as a driver in the car, you tune that out. You only hear from the pit crew after the race about everything that went on. But it’s honestly incredible. Especially because the weekend started well for us too. We improved in qualifying compared to free practice. Unfortunately, I lost a bit of time in the last corner – otherwise we might have started from eighth place and then we’d have had a better starting position for the second race too. But oh well, that’s how it is – it was my first race and that’s part of gaining experience.
IIn the second race, after the restart, your front axle locked up and you spun on the start/finish straight, but carried on straight away. That was a top move. What goes through your mind in a moment like that?
That's just intuition. You don't think too much because the sport is so fast. By the time you start thinking, it's already over. When I spun, I naturally feared that the following vehicles might drive into me, but then I realised that they were also braking and reacting. Then I immediately shifted back down the gears and just carried on. My car was simply handling well. I was able to overtake several cars afterwards and work my way back through the field.
You had a lot of things to consider on your first race weekend – for example, the tyres. How do you approach that?
It's like this: when you're driving in traffic, you can't drive like you do in qualifying. You don't have that initial peak then. The danger of locking up the wheels is naturally there. As a driver, though, you concentrate on your own pace, on staying on the track, and you look at what's happening in front of you. You have to react, and only then do the tyres come into it. But you'll certainly swerve to avoid a crash and ruin your tyres, rather than ending up off the track straight away.
Have you noticed over the weekend that you've gained more experience and are approaching things differently as a result?
Yes, indeed, especially at the start. My first two starts were both very good, but then heading into the first corner I was a little more cautious, because I thought to myself: Better to lose a position, but keep the car in the race. And then I can get it back later anyway, because I knew that I was incredibly fast. Therefore, I had the confidence that I could get back every position I might lose at the start.
You mention self-confidence, but at the same time, especially when you first started, there must have been a good dose of excitement too, right?
It wasn't entirely straightforward. Because the track slopes downwards, I also had to apply the brakes so the car wouldn't roll away on its own. We tried this out during the formation lap. However, I wasn't sure how much I needed to brake. I was less nervous at the start itself. I just focused on the lights and what my feet were doing – and then we were off.