Oschersleben: Volkswagen event report

Mortara is champion, Wittmann on course for vice championship

Wolfsburg (19 September 2010). Even without a victory the race weekend at Oschersleben was a resounding success for Volkswagen and its partner team Signature. After Edoardo Mortara secured an early title win in the Formula 3 Euro Series yesterday, Marco Wittmann as the runner-up behind winner Jim Pla (ART Grand Prix) underpinned his ambitions for the vice champion's title in the second race.

The 20-year-old benefited to some extent from the mistake of his rival Valtteri Bottas (ART Grand Prix), who received a drive-through penalty after a collision. Two races before the end of the season Wittmann in his 210-hp Dallara F308 Volkswagen again enlarged the gap to his rival for the vice champion's title - Wittmann now has 70 points, Bottas in third place 62. A total of 17 points will still be awarded on the last race weekend at Hockenheim.

Yesterday Edoardo Mortara secured an early win of the championship with a sixth-place finish in one of the world's most powerful junior series - thus following in the footsteps of Formula 1 drivers like Lewis Hamilton (2005 winner) and Nico Hulkenberg (2008 winner). Sunday's race, however, did not go so well for the champion: after a braking mistake in front of turn one the Italian retired shortly after the start.

For the drivers from Team Motopark Academy the home race on Sunday was marked by ups and downs as well. While the Dutchman Renger van der Zande and Tobias Hegewald finished fifth and seventh, Antonio Felix da Costa (Portugal) collided with his team colleague Matias Laine (Finland) - which ended the race for both of them. Laurens Vanthoor from the Signature team in fourth place completed the results of the drivers "powered by Volkswagen" in the second race.

Kris Nissen, Volkswagen Motorsport Director:

"The race weekend of the Formula 3 Euro Series at Oschersleben was very successful for Volkswagen, its teams and drivers even without a victory because in Edoardo Mortara we have determined a deserving champion here at Volkswagen's home round. This means that Volkswagen provides the title winners in the German and British Formula 3 Championships this year - a great success and big compliment to everyone involved in this feat. As far as the last round goes I'm hoping for the racers to demonstrate their team spirit. In that case Marco Wittmann, who drove a good season, will have perfect chances of clinching the vice championship for Volkswagen and the Signature team."

#5 - Edoardo Mortara (Italy) - Volkswagen Dallara F309 - Team Signature
Qualifying: 9th place - race 1: 6th place - race 2: retirement

"It's too bad, the mistake was clearly mine. I'd have liked to be on the podium this weekend too but the title win is what counts. In 2007 I was the rookie champion and in 2008 I was the runner-up just barely behind Nico Hulkenberg. That's why it's a great feeling now to see my name on the same list of drivers like Hamilton or other stars from Formula 1, the DTM and the IndyCar-Series."

#6 - Marco Wittmann (Germany) - Volkswagen Dallara F308 - Team Signature
Qualifying: 10th place - race 1: 7th place - race 2: 2nd place

"On the whole it was a fair to middling weekend. We were simply lacking pace here. In the second race I was shooting for victory but wasn't able to keep the pace of the front runners. We now have to analyse why that was the case. I've got to be content with second place, also because Valtteri Bottas scored no points. But I'm optimistic for the finale at Hockenheim because I've won there before this season."

-source: volkswagen