Mücke Motorsport with two Formula 3 Euro Series double successes in Hockenheim
Two pole positions, two fastest race laps, two double successes, two vice titles and one rookie champion: Berlin Team Mücke Motorsport ended the 2012 motorsports season with the Formula 3 Euro Series and the FIA Formula 3 European Championships with a bang, delivering the most successful weekend (20th/21st October) at the Hockenheimring. Just like Saturday morning’s race 22, the 24th and last race of the seasonon Sunday was won by Swede Felix Rosenqvist ahead of his team colleague Pascal Wehrlein. On Saturday afternoon, Wehrlein came in sixth and Rosenqvist seventh in the F3 Euro Series ratings. The German capital’s racing team has now ended the season as vice champion in team ratings and with Pascal Wehrlein, who had turned 18 years old on Thursday 18th October, boast the F3 vice champion and rookie champion. Felix Rosenqvist ranks fourth and with his season victories three and four, which brought the total of Mücke Motorsport victories up to six, conquered third place of teh European Championships, directly ahead of his team collegue Wehrlein. Winner of the F3ES and the EC was Spaniard Daniel Juncadella (Dallara Mercedes).
„We made the most of the finals and were rewarded for the hard and continuous work throughout the season. For this, I am grateful to all involved in the success – drivers, racing engineers, mechanics and assistants alike“, said team manager Peter Mücke. Since entering the Formula 3 scene in 1999, the results brought home the sixth rookie title and fifth vice championship in driver ratings for his team. Prior to Wehrlein taking hold of the title, Berlin man Stefan Mücke (2001), Austrian Christian Klien (2003), Swissman Sébastien Buemi (2007) and Christian Vietoris from Goennersdorf (2009) had achieved the runner up place in the championships.
The season final on the 4.574 kilometre long track in Hockeheim could not have been any more gripping. Top of the table Daniel Juncadella, having arrived in Hockenheim 35 points ahead of Wehrlein, remained scoreless in both of Saturday’s races due to technical difficulties and finished in fourth place on Sunday behind a guest starter. By the close of the season, the Mücke rookie had narrowed the gap to a mere eleven points. While the Worndorf driver, sponsored by the ADAC Sports Foundation and the Deutsche Post Speed Academy had taken over the second position from the Spaniard four laps before the finish in Saturday’s race, he achieved this in just the seventh of a total 25 laps the day after. He then conitnued to work on closing the gap to team colleague Felix Rosenqvist, who had landed two straight start to finish victories on both days, coming from the pole position. While Wehrlein was just half a second behind the Swede (with fastest race lap on Saturday morning) at times, the opportunity to overtake him remained elusive.
The team had not been issued a directive to allow Wehrlein to grab the title at his home game. „The lads all drive for their careers. As a policy, we do not want to influence the race outcome by putting pressure on them“, explains team manager Peter Mücke. „I used to handle it this way even when my son Stefan was active in the Formula 3 and intend to hold on to these principles.“ The excellent finals results aside, the racing team owner is satisfied with the overall 2012 season. With places two and four in the table (Rosenqvist was just seven points short of third place) and the runner up place in team ratings, the results are great. „And bear in mind, we still have a highlight coming up with the Formula 3 Grand Prix of Macau mid November, where we intend to win“, announced Peter Mücke. In addition to Rosenqvist and Wehrlein, the team manager will be sending his new contracted Formula 3 driver for 2013, Australian Mitchell Gilbert, into action in the former Portuguese colony.
