Pole position for Marco Wittmann at Nürburgring
The BMW driver topped the time sheets with 1:22.780 minutes.
Qualifying, 3rd Mike Rockenfeller, Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi RS 5 DTM, 1st Marco Wittmann, BMW Team RMG BMW M4 DTM, 2nd Edoardo Mortara, Audi Sport Team Abt Audi RS 5 DTM
XPB Images
Nürburg – BMW driver Marco Wittmann remains on course for the DTM title. While his main rival Mattias Ekström only ended up in 22nd place, the German secured his third pole position of the season. “For us, that was a very good qualifying. In the sessions before, we had a few problems, so I am all the more surprised by this result. It was great fun, because the car was perfect. Focussing entirely on this single lap in qualifying is one of my strengths,” Wittmann enthused.
There are no excuses for the weak performance. Today, our timing simply wasn’t the best.
Mattias Ekström
The best-placed driver of an Audi RS 5 DTM, Edoardo Mortara will be starting from the front row of the grid alongside Wittmann. The Italian came 0.145 seconds short of the fastest time. “Second place on the grid feels like a victory. The past few weekends were really tough for me and now, being back among the front-runners again is nice. I know that our car is generally working very well in the race. That is making me confident for Sunday,” the 27-year-old explained. Next to Mortara, four other Audi drivers managed to make it into the final qualiying segment.
After numerous setbacks in the season so far, Daniel Juncadella secured himself a promising starting grid position. With his DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, the Spaniard will be starting from seventh position into the Nürburgring race. The 23-year-old commented his best qualifying result of the season as follows: “I am happy that I am the best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver. It was very close again and I reckon that we have made another important step ahead. Unfortunately, I made a few small mistakes on the decisive laps.”
Mattias Ekström was dealt a major blow in the battle for the title. The Swede, Marco Wittmann’s fiercest rival as runner-up in the drivers’ standings, already was sidelined after the first qualifying heat. Ekström has to start only 22nd into the seventh round of the year. “There are no excuses for the weak performance. Today, our timing simply wasn’t the best. It would be nice if we could turn this around in the race, but that will not be easy,” the disappointed two times’ champion explained.
The seventh DTM round at Nürburgring covers 49 laps and will start on Sunday at 13.30hrs CET. ARD will be broadcasting live from the event of the most popular international touring car series in the Eifel from 13.15hrs onwards.
The qualifying at a glance
13.35 hrs. | DTM qualifying in the Eifel gets underway at 13.45. |
13.45 hrs. | Start of Q1, 13 minutes, after which the 18 fastest drivers continue. Mattias Ekström is the first driver to go on track. |
13.46 hrs. | Vietoris under investigation for having blocked the fast lane. |
13.48 hrs. | Ekström is the first driver to top the time sheets: 1:34.272. |
13.50 hrs. | Rockenfeller now on top: 1:33.918, then toppled by Di Resta with 1:33.794 and then Paffett with 1:33.230. |
13.51 hrs. | Pascal Wehrlein moves up to second place: 1:33.657. |
13:52 hrs. | Paffett improves his own fastest time: 1:32.518. |
13.55 hrs. | On his first flying lap, Martin Tomczyk goes second fastest: 1:32.630. |
13.56 hrs. | As all drivers go faster with fresh tyres, there are plenty of position changes. |
13.57 hrs. | Wittmann is currently fastest with 1:27.722, then Green, Spengler. Wehrlein, Vietoris. |
13.58 hrs. | Time has run out, but many drivers are still on track. Tomczyk, the last driver to complete his flying lap, comes out on top with 1:26.067, followed by Wittmann, Glock, Martin, Vietoris, Spengler, Molina, Wehrlein, Juncadella, Scheider, Green, Rockenfeller, Farfus, Di Resta, Mortara, Tambay, Wickens and Müller. The following drivers don't make it into Q2: Félix da Costa, Hand, Petrov, Ekström and Paffett. |
14.05 hrs. | Start of Q2, eleven minutes, after which the eight fastest drivers continue. Miguel Molina was the first driver to leave the pit lane. |
14.08 hrs. | Jamie Green is fastest: 1:23.541, leading a quintet of Audi drivers with Müller, Rockenfeller, Tambay and Molina in second to fifth place. |
14.09 hrs. | Rockenfeller goes fastest with 1:23.300. |
14.14 hrs. | Green goes fastest: 1:22.982, then Di Resta second with 1:23.079. Then Wittmann goes fastest: 1:22.504. |
14.17 hrs. | Time has run out. Wittmann remains fastest from Green, Di Resta, Rockenfeller, Mortara, Juncadella, Scheider and Molina. These eight drivers continue into Q3. On the other hand, qualifying is over for Vietoris, Müller, Tambay, Martin, Wickens, Farfus, Wehrlein, Glock, Spengler and Tomczyk. |
14.24 hrs. | Start of the final qualifying session at Nürburgring. Timo Scheider is the first driver on track. |
14.26 hrs. | Timo Scheider on top: 1:23.048, then toppled by Mortara who goes fastest with 1:22.925. |
14.27 hrs. | Wittmann on top with 1:22.780. |
14.32 hrs. | Green is the only driver of the final eight who still has to set a lap time. |
14.35 hrs. | Green goes fourth fastest with his only timed lap: 1:22.996. End of the session, Wittmann is fastest from Mortara, Rockenfeller, Green, Scheider, Molina, Juncadella and Di Resta. |
DTM
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments