Weekend tip: Home game for the Swiss GT3 drivers 🎥

A LOT TO SEE AT THE END OF THE WEEK The penultimate round of the ADAC GT Masters at Hockenheim is virtually a home game for Schweizer. Formula 1 returns to the USA, where the W Series also races. And in Sardinia, the Extreme E is on the rampage.

Peter Wyss - 21 October 2021

"Ricky" Feller and the masked Christopher Mies defend their lead in the standings at Hockenheim. The decision will be made on November 7 at the Nürburgring (Photo: Group C).

The title fight in the ADAC GT Masters with the predicate German GT Championship is more exciting than ever - and could end, as it did two years ago (Patric Niederhauser), with a Swiss driver at the top. Before the penultimate race weekend at Hockenheim, however, a good 20 drivers still have realistic chances, and mathematically there are even considerably more.

Feller is cautiously optimistic
With two wins this season, Ricardo Feller and his German partner Christopher Mies in the Land Motorsport Audi R8 lead the standings by just two points over the Mercedes duo Engel/Stolz. With eight victories, Audi is the most successful GT3 brand at the Baden Motodrom.

A good omen for the 21-year-old from Aargau - but he remains modest with his expectations.

Ricardo Feller: "Our title chances are definitely there, but it won't be easy. My personal goal is to finish in the top 5 twice at Hockenheim and score solid points. The track suits the Audi well, the R8s have always been quite good there in the past. However, I've got a bit of a headache because of the Mercedes-AMG because I rate them very strongly there."

Home game for Jeffrey Schmidt's Corvette team
Among the realistic title contenders is Raffaele Marciello from Ticino, who will be competing under the Italian flag in a Mercedes.

With a 57-point gap, Jeffrey Schmidt and his German partner Marvin Kirchhöfer, who lives in Lucerne, and the Callaway Competition team based in nearby Leingarten near Heilbronn would have to succeed in a perfect home race and the two leading teams would have to fail in many other ways. Anything is possible.

ADAC GT Masters eBay Backstage takes a look behind the scenes at Callaway Competition.

Live on site or on TV/Internet
Thanks to the Hockenheimring, which can be reached in just a few hours by car, many relatives of the Swiss pilots and quite a few "neutral" spectators from the southern neighboring country are expected. Tickets are conveniently available for self-printing in advance at adac.de/motorsport or available at the box office.

Those staying at home can watch the action on free-to-air TV station NITRO, which will broadcast both races live from 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. At TVNOW.com and on www.adac.de/motorsport they will also be available online in the livestream, where there will also be live broadcasts of the two qualifying sessions.

ADAC GT Masters 5th + 6th race Zandvoort 2021 - Photo: Gruppe C Photography

First overseas GP in almost two years
It's Grand Prix Time again this weekend, and for TV viewers, it's even prime time. After a one-year break due to the Corona pandemic, the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin returns to the F1 calendar with a slightly different look. During the past year, the track was renewed along about 40 percent of its total length.

Swiss television will report live from the 17th World Championship Round 2021 from Texas on Sunday evening from 20:20 to 22:55 on the SRF zwei channel, as will ORF1 from 20:15. Qualifying will be broadcast on Saturday from 22.55 to 00.10 on SRF info.

The Circuit of the Americas welcomes Formula 1 and the W Series (Photo: Jakob Ebrey/LAT Photographic).

US premiere for Fabienne Wohlwend
In the supporting program, the W Series will hold its two finals overseas for the first time. This also means a premiere for Fabienne Wohlwend from Liechtenstein.

For the only German-speaker in the competitive Frauenfeld, it's about the direct qualification for 2022, which is guaranteed to the eight best. Fabienne is currently still in fifth position. The goal would also be the first victory or the second podium of the season.

The title and the associated prize money of 500,000 US dollars will be decided between the British Alice Powell and Jamie Chadwick (winner in 2019), who are tied on points, and Emma Kimmiläinen of Finland.

The British channel Channel 4, which is also available in Switzerland, will broadcast race 1 live on Saturday night from 00.05 and race 2 on Sunday from 17.25 CEST. Also, the races should be broadcast live or retrospectively on the YouTube channel of the W Series will be on display.

Alice Powell and Jamie Chadwick have traveled to Texas tied on points. One of them will probably win half a million in prize money (Photo: W Series).

Extreme E in Sardinia
Finally, the electric off-road buggies of the Extreme E are on the road again. The fourth and first race in Europe will take place this weekend in Sardinia. The race will be held at the Capo Teulada military base on the southern tip of the island.

With the Iceland X Prix, the organizers want to draw attention to forest fires and extreme weather conditions in southern Europe. In sporting terms, this is something that Nico Rosberg's mixed team in particular would like to do. Ideally, they could secure the title before the mid-December finale in Wales.

All sessions can be booked at ran.de and on YouTube be followed in the livestream. The free TV station ProSieben Maxx will broadcast the final live on Sunday from 4 p.m. with German commentary.