Infarct race again in the DTM. The changing conditions of the sky at the Nürburgring have given us an unpredictable spectacle that has ended with the victory of Lucas Auer and a podium completed by only Mercedes drivers with Paul Di Resta and Robert Wickens.
Just before the race rain started to fall and this has meant that the drivers have had to start with wet tires. At the start of the race, Augusto Farfus (BMW) took the lead of the race and escaped from the pole position author, Lucas Auer (Mercedes), behind him were Robert Wickens (Mercedes) and Marco Wittmann (BMW) bad exit
By the 10th lap, the track had a dry lane, and drivers were considering to put slick tyres. At first, the decision to put these compounds was ok and even Farfus who was in the lead alone, entered in the pits. But on lap 19 the rain returned to the circuit and this benefited the drivers with rain tires that had remained on track.
These drivers were Auer, Paul Di Resta (Mercedes), Wickens, Maro Engel (Mercedes), René Rast (Audi), Jamie Green and Edoardo Mortara (Mercedes). All of them would stop later to put in a new set of rain tires, while the drivers who had slick tires some remained on the track as in the case of Gary Paffett, or made a second pit stop to put wet tires, as in Farfus did.
Once completed the stops, Di Resta was in the lead but he would be overcome by brand team mate, Lucas Auer who would finally cross the finish line in first position. Mercedes managed to monopolize the top four positions with Di Resta and Wickens on the podium, Engel starring another good result in the fourth position.
Rast finishes fifth after a difficult start to the race, just like Jamie Green and Edoardo Mortara, who follow in sixth and seventh position, after running last. Farfus and Wittmann with two pit stops have finished in the points zone followed by Paffett who has completed the end of race with dry tires.
As for the drivers’ championship, Mattias Ekström (Audi) holds the lead with 128 points, but Auer is just one point behind the Swedish. Rast saves a complicated day and is third of the overall 4 points away of his teammate. Also in the fight but with 18, 21, 24, 26 and 31 points less are Mike Rockenfeller, Jamie Green, Timo Glock, Maxime Martin and Marco Wittmann.
Results:
1 Auer 2 Di Resta 3 Wickens 4 Engel 5 Rast 6 Green 7 Mortara 8 Farfus 9 Wittmann 10 Paffett 11 Müller 12 Glock 13 Spengler 14 Rockenfeller 15 Ekström 16 Blomqvist 17 Martin