Niklas Krütten – hp from morning to night  

Niklas Krütten discovered his passion for motorsport as a young lad. While his sister was busy riding horses and his brother was playing football, Niklas was already a regular at the kart track at the age of eight. And it wasn’t long before the boy from Trier’s talent became evident: He finished his first season in the KCT Mini Kart Cup as the best rookie in 2010. A further three years in mini-karting were followed by two seasons in international junior karting and two seasons in international senior karting, where it didn’t take him long to establish himself as one of the leaders.

Niklas entered single-seater racing in 2018, and contested races in various Formula 4 series in Europe and the United Arab Emirates. After multiple podiums, he ended his maiden season as the best rookie in the German ADAC Formula 4. Halfway through the 2019 season, he was in the top 3 of the German and Italian Formula 4 championships, when he received an offer to switch to Formula 3. Successful guest starts paved the way for a permanent Formula 3 start in the 2020 season, which went on to be Niklas’ most successful season to date – he ended the Euroformula Open 2020 as Rookie Champion in the top 5. But unlike most junior drivers, he didn’t take the traditional route and join Formula 2; he switched to endurance racing for the 2021 season instead. In the European Le Mans Series he will start as a permanent LMP3 driver, and he will contest endurance classics in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the USA. 

His great potential has also been recognised by ADAC Stiftung Sport (ADAC Sports Foundation), who has been developing the youngster since 2019 and providing him with regular training sessions to help him to interact with journalists, among other things.

The man from Rhineland-Palatinate prepares meticulously for his race appearances. In his personal race simulator at home, Niklas completes countless laps on the upcoming racetracks. “Simulator work is the perfect preparation for me. Obviously, it doesn’t replace my real racing car, but you can work up to best times nicely, without painful accidents or expensive repairs,” explained Niklas with a smile.

But professional motorsport is about more than just the work in the cockpit. A whole team supports the junior driver, helping him make continuous improvements. The regular sports programme is supervised by a fitness trainer. A dietician is also on hand to support the talented youngster. A mental coach prepares Niklas for the demands in the cockpit and at the racetrack. And when Niklas isn’t busy with motorsport, he enjoys getting behind the wheel of his own car and delivering pizzas for a restaurant owned by a friend of his. “I just love being at the wheel. So if I can do that and help someone out, it’s a win-win situation,” said Niklas, and added with a laugh “And I love to win.”

Three questions for Niklas 2021