The intense competition at Lausitzring culminated in a victorious performance by Matteo Cairoli, driver of the Emil Frey Ferrari, who achieved his second win of the season in Sunday’s race. This victory not only consolidates his role as a competitor but also places him at the top of the overall championship standings.
However, the race was not easy for the Italian. Nicki Thiim, driving an Aston Martin Comtoyou and starting from pole, was a fierce rival during the final laps. Despite having an adhesion advantage with newer tires, Thiim could not overtake the Ferrari and crossed the finish line just 0.413 seconds behind Cairoli.
In his post-race statements, Cairoli acknowledged the pressure exerted by the Danish driver: “It was a great challenge, and I even had to turn on the air conditioning to try to stay calm. My tires were at the limit, so I had to fight until the end to achieve this victory.” This win confirms his previous triumph at Zandvoort and places him at the top of the standings with 78 points, relegating Lucas Auer to second place with 77 points.
First podium for young Wiebelhaus
The battle for third place on the podium was equally thrilling. Arjun Maini, HRT Ford driver, started from pole but was overtaken by his teammate Finn Wiebelhaus in the last laps. The 20-year-old rookie thus achieved his first podium in the competition.
Wiebelhaus commented on his performance: “It was a great duel at the end. I am very happy with the result for the team. It was a clean competition, with enough space for both.” The young driver acknowledged that he had a tire advantage because Maini had to defend himself with more worn tires after a previous incident with Thierry Vermeulen.
Start and incidents in the race
The start of the race was calm, with Maini maintaining his leading position, but the situation quickly became complicated. An accident in the second lap prompted the intervention of the safety car after Maximilian Paul lost part of his bodywork on the track.
After the restart, the competition continued without significant changes at the front. Likewise, the battles in the middle of the pack were fierce, highlighting the rivalry between Preining and Dörr, with repeated contacts between the two drivers.
Pit strategies and key errors
The tire changes were crucial in the race. Cairoli benefited from a mistake by Maini during his pit stop, which took longer than expected. This allowed Cairoli to reclaim the first position later in the race.
The drivers continued battling in the final stages, and Thiim would finish the race with a strategy that would allow him to overtake Maini after the second round of pit stops, thereby consolidating his position in the standings.
Towards the next DTM appointment
With this intense weekend, attention now turns to the next event on the calendar, taking place from July 3 to 5 at Norisring, where drivers will face one of the few street circuits of the season. Teams and drivers have no time to recover and must prepare for the demands of this new challenge.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_f80c5e4c802268a1bd41510187c39cf5eebd897a