Starter apparatus for cranking over an internal combustion engine, - having a drive shaft which can be driven by an electric starter motor, wherein the drive shaft has a drive shaft longitudinal axis and an external toothing system arranged on an outer drive shaft surface, - having a pinion shaft which has a pinion shaft longitudinal axis and has, at a free end, a pinion for being brought into engagement with an internal combustion engine and, at an opposite end, a pot-like drive shaft receptacle for receiving the drive shaft, - having a freewheel device for the transmission of a torque in a manner which is independent of the rotational speed from the drive shaft to the pinion shaft which, on a toothing section of an inner surface of the freewheel device has a toothing system which is in engagement with the external toothing system, and has a clutch part consisting of a bearing arrangement which is arranged between a torque transmission section of the inner surface and a corresponding torque transmission section of the pinion shaft, - the pinion shaft receiving the drive shaft in the drive shaft receptacle, and it being possible for the pinion shaft to be moved together with the freewheel device in the direction of the drive shaft longitudinal axis between an engagement position with an internal combustion engine and at least one engagement-free basic position which is spaced apart therefrom, with the result that the pinion shaft and the freewheel device can be driven by the drive shaft and can be displaced together in the direction of the drive shaft longitudinal axis, characterized - in that a sleeve is arranged radially between the pinion shaft and the freewheel device, in order to support the pinion shaft radially with regard to the freewheel device, - in that the sleeve is supported radially with contact on a bearing section of the pinion shaft and - in that the pinion shaft has a pot-shaped bearing projection which extends in the direction of the pinion shaft longitudinal axis and the outer radial surface of which forms the bearing section. - having a drive shaft which can be driven by an electric starter motor, wherein the drive shaft has a drive shaft longitudinal axis and an external toothing system arranged on an outer drive shaft surface, - having a pinion shaft which has a pinion shaft longitudinal axis and has, at a free end, a pinion for being brought into engagement with an internal combustion engine and, at an opposite end, a pot-like drive shaft receptacle for receiving the drive shaft, - having a freewheel device for the transmission of a torque in a manner which is independent of the rotational speed from the drive shaft to the pinion shaft which, on a toothing section of an inner surface of the freewheel device has a toothing system which is in engagement with the external toothing system, and has a clutch part consisting of a bearing arrangement which is arranged between a torque transmission section of the inner surface and a corresponding torque transmission section of the pinion shaft, - the pinion shaft receiving the drive shaft in the drive shaft receptacle, and it being possible for the pinion shaft to be moved together with the freewheel device in the direction of the drive shaft longitudinal axis between an engagement position with an internal combustion engine and at least one engagement-free basic position which is spaced apart therefrom, with the result that the pinion shaft and the freewheel device can be driven by the drive shaft and can be displaced together in the direction of the drive shaft longitudinal axis, characterized - in that a sleeve is arranged radially between the pinion shaft and the freewheel device, in order to support the pinion shaft radially with regard to the freewheel device, - in that the sleeve is supported radially with contact on a bearing section of the pinion shaft and - in that the pinion shaft has a pot-shaped bearing projection which extends in the direction of the pinion shaft longitudinal axis and the outer radial surface of which forms the bearing section.