The Austrian driver Thomas Preining has started strong in his participation in the DTM at Hockenheim, marking the best performances in both training sessions on Friday. He currently leads the championship with a 23-point advantage over Maro Engel and 24 over Marco Wittmann, with two races ahead.
In the first session, which took place in dry conditions with some drops of rain, Preining clocked the best time of the day with a time of 1:36.974, surpassing Jules Gounon by just 0.050 seconds. However, the session was affected by an incident where Gounon went off the track, forcing the activity to be neutralized.
After the first practice, Preining expressed his satisfaction but warned that the results could be misleading. “The yellow flag period compromised the new tire runs for everyone. It’s not the true reflection of what can happen,” he commented after his performance.
In the second session, affected by rainy conditions, Preining stood out again with a time of 1:47.823. The difficult conditions led many drivers to complete their qualifying simulations at the start of the first practice, with temperatures of only 12 degrees in the air and 16 on the track.
Rivals’ Performance
Preining’s rivals had varied performances. Marco Wittmann, from the Schubert BMW team, was the third fastest in the overall standings, 0.209 seconds behind Preining’s time. However, he struggled in the second session, finishing in 15th position, 1.328 seconds behind.
On the other hand, Engel finished sixth in the first session and eighth in the second. Lucas Auer, fourth in the championship and with theoretical chances of winning, ended up in 11th position after being stopped during his fast lap by an interfering driver.
Problems for Thiim and Aston Martin
The Aston Martin drivers, including Nicki Thiim, had a tough day, with Thiim finishing 20th and showing a large gap with his competitors. This adds to the tough expectations before the competition, knowing that his teammate, Nicolas Baert, also struggled to keep pace.
Physical Conditions and Weekend Plan
In other news, Thierry Vermeulen, who injured his foot, was able to participate in both sessions, finishing in 16th position. His technical director is optimistic about his condition to participate in the race.
On Saturday, the drivers will seek a clear decision on the competition in the first qualifying session, with Preining as the favorite to repeat his good performances in front of a changing weather forecast.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
