Maxim Rehm from Blaubeuren started a new era in his motorsport career at the weekend. The former German karting champion made his debut in Formula 4 and promptly finished third on the rookie podium. He was also among the front runners in the overall standings.
"I've spent the last few weeks preparing meticulously for the start of the season. The Formula Winter Series provides a good basis and allows me to have my first battle with strong competitors. I already know many of the drivers from karting. For me, it's about gaining experience and constantly improving," said the young driver from Baden-Württemberg, giving an outlook.
Maxim is competing for Team US Racing from Kerpen this year and therefore has an experienced team behind him. The conditions at the start of the season could not have been more difficult. The practice sessions and races were accompanied by heavy rain in places. The rookie had some bad luck in qualifying on a drying track and, with 18th and 24th place, was not in a perfect starting position for the first two races. "My timing wasn't perfect on the drying track, which meant that other drivers had one lap more and were able to improve on them," revealed the 16-year-old.
He then showed his fighting spirit in the three races. In the first race, Maxim moved up to twelfth place and was already fifth in the rookie classification. He went one better in the second race. This time he improved by a remarkable 13 places and finished a strong eleventh. But that was not all, he was also the third-best rookie and was allowed to climb straight onto the podium. "That was a great race. I made up so many places, it was a great feeling to be on the podium," Maxim beamed at the finish. The successful weekend was rounded off with another fifth rookie place in the third race.
Maxim will continue next weekend. The Formula Winter Series then returns to Valencia in Spain for the second round.
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