Persistent Trophy drivers in the ATS Formula 3 Cup

It was the race of Sebastian Balthasar. Competing in the Trophy ranking, the driver from Cologne remained in the Top3 almost until the end of the race. Overtaking him was a challenge for his competitors. The top-eight finishers of the first race started into the second race in reverse order. Balthasar was far ahead in the Trophy ranking. Briton Emil Bernstorff won the biggest trophy in the Cup ranking. 16 drivers from ten countries changed to wet tyres for the race at the 3.645-km track. 

Starting behind the safety car was new for many of the young talents. However, Sebastian Balthasar from Cologne (GU-Racing / Dallara F311 Mercedes) and Hubertus-Carlos Vier from Inching (ADAC Team Nordbayern / Dallara F307 Mercedes) in the first two positions did very well. Both of them are contesting in the Trophy ranking. The latter ended his session in the gravel trap. Balthasar defended his place on top for two laps, before Briton Emil Bernstorff (Lotus / Dallara F311 Volkswagen Power Engine) overtook him and broke away from the field. Austrian Thomas Jäger (Performance Racing / Dallara F311 Volkswagen Power Engine), the winner of the first race, Marvin Kirchhöfer (Lotus / Dallara F311 Volkswagen Power Engine), and Italian Matteo Cairoli (ADM Motorsport / Dallara F311 Volkswagen Power Engine) battled it out behind the Trophy driver. Jäger retired early after spinning. Russian Artem Markelov (Lotus / Dallara F311 Volkswagen Power Engine) also spun but managed to close the gap and finish the race third. Bernstorff finished first, with Kirchhöfer in second place. Once again, the podium was owned by the Lotus team.

The race of Sebastian Balthasar
Balthasar grabbed the victory in the Trophy ranking after a spectacular race. The Cup drivers also gave him credit for his performance. The driver from Cologne even narrowly missed the podium in the Cup ranking. Freddy Killensberger from Wortelstetten (GU-Racing / Dallara F307 OPC-Challenge) grabbed the second place; Maximilian Hackl from Ruderting (Franz Wöss Racing / Dallara F307 OPC-Challenge) finished the wet race at Sachsenring third.

Emil Bernstorff: “It worked out pretty well. I passed everyone. It really could not have gone much better. The others were still fighting a bit so I could make it clear. That was good.”
Marvin Kirchhöfer: “It was an extremely challenging race. Visibility was very bad. Driving was a matter of pure luck. I am quite happy with the result. We pushed hard to get to the top.”
Artem Markelov: “It was a crazy race because the rain was really heavy. I pushed and tried my best. But I am back on the podium and I am enjoying it.”
Sebastian Balthasar: “It was an absolutely brilliant race, my best race ever. I defended my place for a long time. However, on the straight I did not really have a chance. It was a really great race for me!”