Matteo Cairoli, driver of Emil-Frey-Ferrari, has claimed pole position in the DTM qualifying at the Nürburgring circuit, with a time of 1:25.345. This result places him back in the title fight, as he is only 52 points away from the lead. Despite his outstanding performance, he was unable to surpass the qualifying record set by Mirko Bortolotti in 2023.
Cairoli, who had gone through complicated weeks, expressed satisfaction with his performance. ‘It’s a good start, after two difficult races,’ he declared. His last lead had been at Lausitzring, where he established himself as the championship leader.
In second position was Thomas Preining of Manthey Porsche, who finished just 0.036 seconds off pole. Preining, currently in fourth place in the championship, was optimistic after a ‘super’ qualifying. The Austrian explained that he faced difficult balances throughout the weekend, but the team found solutions quickly.
The third place went to Lucas Auer of Landgraf-Mercedes, who is tied on points with second-placed Nicki Thiim, although Auer remains in third position due to Thiim’s two victories. Marco Wittmann finished fourth, solidifying his chances in the title fight, while championship leader Maro Engel placed sixth with a 20 kg ballast.
For his part, Thiim, currently second in the overall standings, only managed 11th position, 0.318 seconds behind the leader, which complicates his options for the next race. The Dane expressed disappointment with his performance, acknowledging that expectations had not been met. Nevertheless, he remains hopeful about his chances to recover during the race.
The qualifying proved challenging for several teams, such as HRT Ford, who faced penalties that relegated them to the last positions on the grid. With only three sets of tires available for the weekend, degradation strategies will be key in tomorrow’s race.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
