Australian Joey Mawson has re-written the record books to become the first Australian driver to be crowned Champion in the ADAC German Formula 4 Championship.
The PODIUM-backed driver secured the crown with victory in the opening two races of the final round at Hockenheim.
After qualifying on the front row for the opening two races on Friday, Mawson was dominant on his way to victory in race one crossing the line six-seconds clear of Mike-David Ortmann. His main Championship rival, Mick Schumacher incurred a penalty prior to the race meaning he started 23rd. He would eventually finish sixth.
The young Australian then further stamped his authority on the Championship with his tenth race win of 2016 during a rain-interrupted second race. Mawson was unfazed by the challenging conditions as he took the flag by 0.6 seconds from Thomas Preining and Kami Laliberte, while Schumacher was eighth.
After starting tenth in the reverse top ten final race, Mawson was edging his way closer to the front of the field before Lirim Zendeli made an ambitious passing maneuver on the Australian entering turn one on the fifth lap. The pair made heavy contact damaging Mawson’s car which led to him spearing off the circuit and out of the race, Zendeli received a drive-through penalty for the incident.
“While the final race today didn’t go to plan, it’s an amazing feeling to know that I’ve won the Championship,” said Mawson.
“Mick and I had a great battle all year long, we’ve certainly pushed each other hard on the track to make sure whoever ended up with the title had earned it.
“To be able to win the Championship for Van Amersfoort Racing is a great reward for everyone in the team who have given me so much support over the past two years.
“Being able to win it on Saturday relieved a lot of pressure on everyone, we could then really enjoy the second race before going into the final race of the year without the stress of the title on the line.
“If it wasn’t for Tom Warwick and Geoff Morgan and everyone else involved with PODIUM, this year would not have been possible. I can’t thank them enough for their ongoing support.”
Mawson finished the year on 374 points, 52 clear of Schumacher in the standings. Throughout the year he claimed ten race wins, 15 podium finishes and seven out of a possible 16 pole positions.
Mawson will remain in Europe until mid December to finalise plans for 2017 before returning to Australia for a brief period over Christmas.