From press release
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.
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.
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.
Qualifying results – Nürburgring
1.Marco Wittmann (BMW M4) - RMG - 1'22"780 - Q3
2.Edoardo Mortara (Audi RS5) - Abt - 1'22"925 - Q3
3.Mike Rockenfeller (Audi RS5) - Phoenix - 1'22"951 - Q3
4.Jamie Green (Audi RS5) - Rosberg - 1'22"996 - Q3
5.Timo Scheider (Audi RS5) - Phoenix - 1'23"048 - Q3
6.Miguel Molina (Audi RS5) - Abt - 1'23"163 - Q3
7.Daniel Juncadella (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'23"221 - Q3
8.Paul Di Resta (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'23"354 - Q3
9.Christian Vietoris (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'23"338 - Q2
10.Nico Muller (Audi RS5) - Rosberg - 1'23"405 - Q2
11.Adrien Tambay (Audi RS5) - Abt - 1'23"421 - Q2
12.Maxime Martin (BMW M4) - RMG - 1'23"495 - Q2
13.Robert Wickens (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'23"565 - Q2
14.Augusto Farfus (BMW M4) - RBM - 1'23"592 - Q2
15.Pascal Wehrlein (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'23"593 - Q2
16.Timo Glock (BMW M4) - MTEK - 1'23"691 - Q2
17.Bruno Spengler (BMW M4) - Schnitzer - 1'23"770 - Q2
18.Martin Tomczyk (BMW M4) - Schnitzer - 1'23"841 - Q2
19.Antonio Felix Da Costa (BMW M4) - MTEK - 1'27"479 - Q1
20.Joey Hand (BMW M4) - RBM - 1'27"568 - Q1
21.Vitaly Petrov (Mercedes C-Coupe) - Mucke - 1'27"714 - Q1
22.Mattias Ekstrom (Audi RS5) - Abt - 1'28"504 - Q1
23.Gary Paffett (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'29"612 - Q1
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.
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| Photo: DTM.com |
“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.
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.
 |
| Photo: DTM.com |
“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.
 |
| Photo: DTM.com |
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.
 |
| Photo: DTM.com |
Qualifying results – Nürburgring
1.Marco Wittmann (BMW M4) - RMG - 1'22"780 - Q3
2.Edoardo Mortara (Audi RS5) - Abt - 1'22"925 - Q3
3.Mike Rockenfeller (Audi RS5) - Phoenix - 1'22"951 - Q3
4.Jamie Green (Audi RS5) - Rosberg - 1'22"996 - Q3
5.Timo Scheider (Audi RS5) - Phoenix - 1'23"048 - Q3
6.Miguel Molina (Audi RS5) - Abt - 1'23"163 - Q3
7.Daniel Juncadella (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'23"221 - Q3
8.Paul Di Resta (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'23"354 - Q3
9.Christian Vietoris (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'23"338 - Q2
10.Nico Muller (Audi RS5) - Rosberg - 1'23"405 - Q2
11.Adrien Tambay (Audi RS5) - Abt - 1'23"421 - Q2
12.Maxime Martin (BMW M4) - RMG - 1'23"495 - Q2
13.Robert Wickens (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'23"565 - Q2
14.Augusto Farfus (BMW M4) - RBM - 1'23"592 - Q2
15.Pascal Wehrlein (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'23"593 - Q2
16.Timo Glock (BMW M4) - MTEK - 1'23"691 - Q2
17.Bruno Spengler (BMW M4) - Schnitzer - 1'23"770 - Q2
18.Martin Tomczyk (BMW M4) - Schnitzer - 1'23"841 - Q2
19.Antonio Felix Da Costa (BMW M4) - MTEK - 1'27"479 - Q1
20.Joey Hand (BMW M4) - RBM - 1'27"568 - Q1
21.Vitaly Petrov (Mercedes C-Coupe) - Mucke - 1'27"714 - Q1
22.Mattias Ekstrom (Audi RS5) - Abt - 1'28"504 - Q1
23.Gary Paffett (Mercedes C-Coupe) - HWA - 1'29"612 - Q1
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| Photo: DTM.com |