Mathilda Paatz from Cologne made her successful race debut in a formula car at the opening round of the French Formula 4 Championship in Nogaro: The 15-year-old, who made the switch from karting to formula racing this year and competes for the ADAC Formula 4 Junior Team, achieved two solid midfield finishes despite difficult weather conditions. Paatz gained valuable experience in her first race in a formula car. The promising debut gives hope for an exciting season, which also includes a race weekend at the legendary Nürburgring (26 to 28 July) in Germany.
The weather did not make it easy for the young talents at the season opener in Nogaro: due to the changeable track conditions and the prevailing mixed conditions in free practice, it was not easy to get used to the unfamiliar conditions and get to know the car better for the important qualifying and the three races. Nevertheless, Mathilda Paatz coped well. The 15-year-old also made a strong impression in qualifying, but it was on her fastest lap that the ADAC Sports Foundation protégée made a small mistake: because she left the track by a few centimetres, her lap time was cancelled. This meant that a place in the top 20 was no longer possible and Paatz ended up in 22nd place on the grid.
After the start of the first race, Paatz immediately made up three positions, which she was able to defend against the competition in the hard-fought race. After 20 minutes, the German Sports Drivers' Association protégée finished her debut in formula racing in 19th place. The second race could not be started due to heavy rain.
Good finish: 16th place in the third race
The third and final race one day later took place on a dry track again. Paatz got off to a good start and stayed out of the first small skirmishes until the safety car came onto the track for the first time. "The situation with the safety car is new to me, I'm not familiar with it from karting. That's why the first restart wasn't so good, but I was able to defend my position," the 15-year-old honestly summarised. The second restart after another safety car phase went much better. In the end, the ADAC Formula 4 Junior Team driver crossed the finish line in 16th place.
"I'm very happy with my debut in Formula 4," says Mathilda Paatz about the good weekend in Nogaro. "I was able to gain some important experience and was in the midfield. It's understandable that not everything goes perfectly in the first race in a formula car, but I have continuously developed and learnt quickly from my mistakes. That's why I'm confident about the upcoming races, where the learning curve will continue. The second race of the French Formula 4 season will take place from 10 to 12 May at the Circuit de Lédenon in the south of France.
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