Event: 05 Norisring
Date: 24th to 26th June, 2016
Venue: Norisring / Germany
Track length: 2.3 kilometres
Lap record FIA F3 EC: 0:48.168 minutes (Max Verstappen, 2014) 
Distance: 33 minutes plus one lap

Following a five-week break, the hopeful FIA Formula 3 European Championship young guns will meet at the 2.3-kilometre-long Norisring to contest the 13th, 14th and 15th round of the 2016 season. In the races at the street circuit located at Nuremberg’s Dutzendteich, the series will determine its unofficial mid-season champion. Currently, Lance Stroll (Prema Powerteam) is in the most promising position. With 12 rounds contested, the 17-year old Canadian holds a 38-point lead over second-placed Briton Callum Ilott (Van Amersfoort Racing). Maximilian Günther (Prema Powerteam) and the youngest driver, David Beckmann (kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport) are the two only Germans on the international grid. Günther holds third position in the championship and also still may hope for finishing the first half of the season with the unofficial mid-season title under his belt.

Lance Stroll recently was going strong and won two out of three races at the Red Bull Ring, five weeks ago. With these two successes, the Williams F1 Team Junior now has three race wins on his tally as he also won the season opener at Le Castellet. And he still has got a score to settle with the Norisring: last year he was pipped in the battle for the podium of race two and had to settle for finishing fourth.

Meanwhile, Maximilian Günther did better in 2015. The young driver who resides in Rettenberg, Bavaria and sat his A level exams shortly before the Norisring weekend celebrated his first FIA Formula 3 European Championship win, last year in his home event at the Norisring. In 2016 he already celebrated two race wins, thus having won as many races as Callum Ilott and Ben Barnicoat (HitechGP), the leader in the rookie ranking. Barnicoat already won a race at a street circuit, in Pau, and consequently will travel to Nuremberg for his debut appearance at the Norisring with a confident mind set.

Maximilian Günther (Prema Powerteam): “I really like the Norisring and thanks to have won here in 2015 I also have fond memories of the circuit. Racing here is big fun and the track even offers overtaking opportunities. On the other hand, looking at the layout makes you believe that the circuit is easier than it really is as the few corners are very demanding. I think that my pace currently is generally good and that I will be able to battle it out at the Norisring at the very front of the field. My goal: to secure good grid positions in the qualifying sessions to make it to the podium in the races – ideally to the top step. Succeeding in the home races always tastes particularly sweet and even more so as several friends, family members and sponsors will attend the event to support me.”