Matteo Cairoli, driver of Emil-Frey-Ferrari, has achieved pole position in Saturday’s qualifying at the Nürburgring in the DTM championship, marking a time of 1:25.345. This qualifying victory represents an opportunity for the Italian driver to make a comeback in the title fight, placing him 52 points behind the leading quartet.
Cairoli’s time was not enough to beat the qualifying record of Mirko Bortolotti (1:25.118) set in 2023. ‘I am very happy, especially after two complicated races,’ commented Cairoli, who previously led the championship after the Lausitzring.
Competition up front
Second place went to Thomas Preining from Manthey Porsche, who was only 0.036 seconds off the lead. ‘It was a magnificent qualifying,’ stated Preining, who is seeking Manthey’s first victory at the Nürburgring after winning at other DTM circuits.
Lucas Auer from Landgraf-Mercedes completed the podium by placing third and tying in points with Nicki Thiim, who occupies second place in the championship. Auer, however, remains in third place due to the two triumphs of the Danish driver.
Challenges for Thiim and Engel
Nicki Thiim, driver for Comtoyou Aston Martin and second in the championship, had a disappointing qualifying session, finishing 11th with a time 0.318 seconds behind the leader. ‘It was to be expected, I couldn’t achieve the maximum,’ said a disappointed Thiim, who needs to recover ground during the race.
Meanwhile, Maro Engel, the current championship leader with a 25-point advantage over Thiim, has to compete with 20 kg of success weight after recently winning due to Bortolotti’s disqualification. Engel stated that the extra load will pose an added challenge during the race.
Other drivers and penalties
The qualifying session was also complicated for the Lamborghini drivers, with Luca Engstler as the best driver from his team, finishing 12th. The replacement for Maximilian Paul, Christian Engelhart, put in a respectable performance, placing 15th. On the other hand, Ford drivers experienced significant difficulties, finishing at the back of the grid with penalties that will complicate their options in the race.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
