Australian Joey Mawson secured a race win during round five of the 2016 German Formula 4 Championship at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on the weekend.

After charging from 11th to fourth in the opening race on Saturday, the PODIUM-backed driver enjoyed his sixth victory from 15 starts this year, with a dominant performance during Race Two on Sunday morning aboard his Van Amersfoort Racing entry.  He then backed his six-second win up by recording third placing in the final race on Sunday afternoon to extend his lead in the points standings to 46.

Mawson’s main rival in the championship chase, Mick Schumacher, endured a troublesome run in qualifying forcing him to play catch up all weekend after starting the first two races outside the top ten.

“Points wise it was really good with a win in Race Two and also a podium in the final race,” said Mawson.

“Mick struck a bit of trouble in qualifying and I was able to make the most of the opportunity and extend the lead in the championship.

“We had a strong car all weekend, again the Van Amersfoort guys did a fantastic job to give me the best possible chance of a great result.  It is very pleasing to be able to reward them with a couple of podiums.”

While pleased with another race win, Mawson believes his performance in the reverse-top ten Race Three was his most satisfying for the weekend.

“Race three was the most satisfying result.  I didn’t get off to the best of starts after having a bit of trouble with the clutch but then the racing and battles was pretty intense,” said Mawson.

“The satisfaction of scoring the podium after such hard racing was a real highlight of the weekend.”

With three rounds remaining, Mawson heads the standings on 254 points with Schumacher second on 208.  Mike-David Ortmann is a further 51 points further back in third place.

The sixth round of the highly-competitive Championship will be held at the Nürburgring on August 5-7.

Australian Joey Mawson will resume his chase for the 2016 ADAC German Formula 4 Championship this weekend with Round Five being held at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

The PODIUM-backed driver enters the second half of the year with a 20-point buffer over second placed Mick Schumacher in the standings.

“To be leading at the halfway mark is very pleasing but it is who is leading at the end of the year that matters most,” said Mawson.

“My goal is to keep scoring good results, podium finishes and going for race wins, if I continue to do this then the championship will take care of itself.”

After a break where he took in a few sights of Europe, Mawson returned to the track recently for a test at the Red Bull Ring.

“I had a good summer break and a very positive test day, all is looking well towards another strong weekend,” said Mawson.

“I like the Red Bull Ring. It’s where I secured my first win in the championship.  They have laid a new surface this year and the kerbs have also been modified , so I think that lap times will be up on 2015.

“It’s a great track – the best on the calendar, in my opinion, along with Hockenheim. There will certainly be some exciting battles.”

Mawson (202) leads Mick Schumacher (182) by twenty points in the standings with third placed Kim Luis Schramm a further 57 points adrift.

Mawson will take to the circuit on Friday morning for two practice sessions ahead of qualifying in the afternoon.  The driver’s fastest time in qualifying decides the grid for race one and second fastest for race two.  The finishing positions in the opening 30-minute race decide the grid for Sunday’s race three, with the top ten being reversed.