Sebastian Vettel has been named as the patron for the inaugural ADAC Formula 4 Championship, which kicks off this weekend at Oschersleben and will finish on the 4th October at Hockenheim after eight triple header rounds.
Vettel himself has raced in an ADAC Championship, back in 2004 in the Formula BMW Championship in which he finished on the podium at all 20 races and won 18 of them.
Seven out of the eight rounds will take place on ADAC GT weekends, with the odd one out being the second Oschersleben round which will be in support of DTM.
The Ferrari driver has said "I know some of the young drivers on the start list", with the most notable - and personal - ones for the German being the son's of Adrian Newey and Michael Schumacher; Harrison and Mick (both 16 years old).
Vettel went on to say: "I can well remember the early years of my career in single seater racing and have a lot to thank the ADAC for...it was a fantastic time for me, but also very important in my development as a racing driver...that's why I'm pleased to make a contribution, along with the ADAC, to increasing the attraction of Formula 4...I'll be following the championship with great interest; these guys are going to be racing at a high level, and I'm sure that I'll be seeing some of them eventually in Formula 1."
Additionally, the "other" Schumacher - Ralf - will remain as patron to the ADAC Kart Masters during the 2015 season.