Carrie Schreiner scores podium in Porsche Sports Cup Germany

Formula 4, GT racing, Formula E: Carrie Schreiner can do it all. Having just been confirmed for the Formula E test with Maserati, here's a summary of her return behind the wheel of a GT car, where Carrie delivered a remarkable performance at the Porsche Sports Cup Germany finale and secured a podium at Hockenheimring.

Photo credits: Plusline Racing

The season finale of the Porsche Sports Cup Germany at the Hockenheimring saw Carrie Schreiner returning to GT competitions, delivering a standout performance with the Plusline Racing team. Competing in a Porsche Cayman GT4 RS alongside teammate Bianca Rödig, Schreiner showcased her experience and versatility, securing a podium finish in the Sprint race and a remarkable recovery drive in the Endurance race.

The event also marked a significant moment for Plusline Racing as the team competed for the first time in the German-based one-make series with a renewably-produced fuel, thanks to the cooperation between HeizOel24/interaid and NORDOEL. The team's racecars were in fact powered by the innovative Racing eFuel 98.

The fuel used is based on the methanol-to-gasoline process, the project is aimed to promote the development of renewable fuels in order to reduce emissions in the transport sector. The Hockenheim season finale was therefore also an important achievement for the motorsport industry as a whole.

Schreiner and Rödig got off to a strong start during the weekend, setting the second-fastest time in free practice. Schreiner’s best lap of 1:47.208 highlighted her quick adaptation to the Cayman GT4 platform, putting her just two-tenths off the top of the time sheets in a field of 29 GT4 entries.

The momentum continued into qualifying, where the all-female duo secured a fourth-place starting position for the Sprint race, with a best lap of 1:47.050.

Their 1:47.318 lap, would also secure Schreiner and Rödig a second row start for the 1-hour endurance race that rounded out the weekend.

Starting from fourth on the grid for the 30-minute Sprint race, Schreiner made a fantastic start, taking the outside line into Turn 1. She immediately went on the attack, challenging for third place at the hairpin on the opening lap. The race was quickly interrupted by a safety car following an incident involving the #173 car of Karwan.

When the race resumed with 23 minutes remaining, Schreiner kept up the pressure, staying right on the tail of the car ahead. However, another crash at Turn 1 brought out a second safety car, limiting her opportunities to make a move.

The race went green again with only 10 minutes to go, and Schreiner seized her chance: the Sauber Academy driver pulled off a spectacular overtake at the fast Turn 7, moving up to third place. From there, she managed to pull away, creating a gap to her rivals but still had three seconds to close on the top-two cars, Kalus and Fico.

With just four minutes left on the clock, a third safety car was deployed when Nick Von Essen crashed at the final corner. The marshals worked quickly, and the race resumed for one final lap. Schreiner had to defend her third place from a challenge by Schubert at the restart but managed to hold her position firmly.

Despite her best efforts to chase down the leaders, she crossed the finish line in third, securing a well-earned podium finish in her return to GT racing.

In the one-hour Endurance race, Rödig started from third in the GT4 class but faced difficulties early on, dropping down to eighth by the sixth lap. As the pit window opened with 35 minutes remaining, Rödig brought the car in from eighth position, and Schreiner took over for the second half of the race with a 33 second gap to the front-runners.

Schreiner wasted no time in mounting a comeback: she passed two cars on her first lap out, displaying remarkable speed. By lap 20, she had moved up to sixth place and was rapidly closing in on the cars ahead. Schreiner executed a flawless overtake at the hairpin to move into fifth, continuing her charge with consistent lap times.

With the race clock winding down, Schreiner set her sights on the fourth-placed car, the #222 entry of Fico, who was over ten seconds ahead. As the cars in front began to battle for position, she closed the gap to just four seconds. On lap 29, she caught up to Van Andern and Fittje, making her way past them with only two minutes remaining on the clock.

Schreiner’s determined drive saw her cross the finish line in fourth place, narrowly missing out on a podium finish but rounding out an extraordinary recovery effort from down the order.

Carrie Schreiner’s weekend at Hockenheimring demonstrated once again her versatility in GT racing after focusing on single-seaters in recent seasons. Currently ninth in the F1 Academy standings, Schreiner has shown strong performances in F4 as well, with a personal best finish of sixth at Zandvoort, one year after her first win in single seaters.

Building on her momentum, Schreiner is set to add yet another race car to her resumé as she prepares to test the Maserati Formula E car in Valencia on November 7th. She will team up with Tatiana Calderon for the female-dedicated test, representing the Monaco-based team in the electric racing series.