Patrick Feldhoffer

Patrick Feldhoffer (Zwickau, Saxony, September 21st, 1996) is a German race car driver. He will drive for Projekt Roter Baron (now Team Echoften after an ownership change), for the 2015 season of F1 Rejects Development Series, the first season of such series.

A three-time karting national champion, Feldhoffer also had a season of experience at Formula ADAC Masters, prior to joining Roter Baron, aiming for a seat at the renowned RWRS levels.

Early career

Son of Georg Feldhoffer and Nora (neé Sürmer) Feldhoffer, Patrick (the third of five children) since early was introduced into auto racing. His parents raced in amateur and lower-level racing series around Germany and, in few occasions, went outside the borders to compete. With age 7, Georg and Nora built to young Patrick a kart machine, dubbed Patri-1 (named due to his nickname), which he used to run for amusement. It wasn't only until he completed 10 years old, Feldhoffer was allowed to compete in the local karting levels.

For his racing debut in 2006, his parents brought a new machine, called 'Patri-2'. The machine showed a lot of impact and Feldhoffer took many race wins and brought his first titles, the Saxony Rookie Level Championship, the Saxony Privateers Cup and the Stars Cup, a regional kart race realized every year at neighbouring Chemnitz.

Patrick and his machine kept rolling in the next two years, winning all the local contests he ran. In 2008, the young Zwickau kid took the first opportunity in the national levels, finishing the German Nationals in 8th. The next year, he climbed to a 5th place and also tested a German Formula BMW machine in Hockenheim.

German Karting Champion

An illness on his mother kept him several months from competing at the higher karting levels in Germany in 2010, apart a Graduate C Championship trophy at the Saxony Championships. Focusing the national series, Feldhoffer came back strong in 2011, taking the German Karting title with honours. Despite strong field in the next two years, he would walk off with both trophies, showing what Germany motorsport press called the raw speed and the endurance one needs to keep himself alive at motorsport arenas

ADAC Masters

His karting exploits awarded him an opportunity to take part at the ADAC Formel Masters, a German open-wheel series and feeder level to the local Formula 3 Championship. He joined the famous Mücke Motorsport, sponsored and helped by a group of Saxony-based companies, including Feldhoffer's parents racing shop.

The start of the season wasn't so bright as he expected, with collisions at Oschersleben and a weird accident at Zaandvort, which it was blamed to the his speed and immaturity. However, Mücke Motorsport decided to keep him in their lists and he found his track, picking his first win at Nürburgring. Two wins at the Red-Bull Ring helped Feldhoffer to change the audience's perception towards his performances, and even another collision in the first race of Lausitzring round couldn't stop his rise, with him winning the last race of that round.

Feldhoffer didn't won races after Lausitz, but good performances at Nürburgring and Hockenheim managed to lift him to the 4th place in the standings, and becoming one of the most sought drivers from the 'New German Generation'. Veterans such the Schumacher Brothers (Michael and Ralf), Fernando Alonso, Kay Lon and others picked interest on Patrick's skills and projected a great future for the Zwickau citizen.

F1 Rejects Development Series

His praised skills finally picked when Projekt Roter Baron, a team set to race in the inaugural season of F1 Rejects Development Series. Feldhoffer became one of the first drivers to join the series, becoming Simon Mestach's partner. Later that team would became named as Team Echoften after the demise of Rokter Baron ownership and posterior sale of the team assets.

The German started to shine at the 2015 F1RDS Australian Grand Prix. where he made the fastest lap, despite finishing at the 12th place. A bad start of the team caused him to achive awful performances in San Marino and Monaco, however bouncing back at France, where he scored his first points with a 4th place in the second race of the weekend, and where his teammate Simon Mestach won it's first race for Roter Baron/Echoften.

Patrick's breakthrough came at the weekend of the 2015 F1RDS Czech Grand Prix. After a disappointing 8th at the first race, Feldhoffer came back to an impressive win in the second segment of the weekend, stunning the series establishment. After the race, he said to the press "Now I am relieved that our car is running well and it's capable to win. Now, it's time for us to prove of what we are made of".

Another weekend of ups-and-downs were the British one. The first race was another disappointment with a mere 25th place, but he came back in the next one to finish 2nd. At his home race in Germany, he was positive about finishing in a good place, but Feldhoffer retired in the weekend. His last races of the season weren't as better as he could think, only with a 15th in Italy as his best result, but coupled with the fastest lap in the meeting.

After the season, Feldhoffer opted for another season of F1RDS. "I am not ready to take a further step in the racing pyramid right now. I prefer myself to have another season at the Development Series in order to upgrade my skills until I get experienced enough to find a seat at F3RWRS, was his words for an interview for Auto Motor und Sport