DTM – BMW locks out front row of the grid at Nürburgring

At the Nürburgring, BMW driver Augusto Farfus claimed the third pole position of his DTM career. In the final qualifying heat, the Brazilian set a fastest lap time of 1:23.296 minutes at the 3.629 kilometres long track in the Eifel and was overjoyed after that. “This pole is a dream. We had a hard day today and we worked a lot on the set-up of the car, because the track provides very little grip. After that, the car was great to drive, but tomorrow’s race will be long. I want to score many points, the championship is too far away,” the 29-year old said.

With a time of 1:23.445 minutes, his team-mate Marco Wittmann claimed second place. Thus, there will be two BMWs on the front row of the grid on Sunday. Miguel Molina ended up third as the best-placed Audi driver, only six thousandths of a second down on Wittmann. “I am very happy, that was a great qualifying for me. This season, we had many hard days, so being able to challenge for victory is all the more beautiful for me. A lot of things can happen in the race tomorrow. In the DTM, every day is different, but I am looking forward to the race.” With fourth place, Edoardo Mortara confirmed Audi’s strong performance.

The fastest Mercedes-Benz driver, Gary Paffett was classified fifth and was satisfied with it. “This year, it is very difficult. When you achieve a perfect lap, you are in front, but it can be the other way round very quickly. Today, we lacked the necessary speed, so fifth place is quite good,” said the driver, who is currently third in the drivers’ standings. Thus, he is in the best position on the starting grid of the title candidates.

Points’ leader Mike Rockenfeller (Audi) already was sidelined after the second qualifying heat. The Audi driver was nine thousandths of a second too slow and will be starting from eleventh place into Sunday’s race. “It is quite simple: we were too slow. That is too bad, but in the previous races, we have moved up to the front even from further down the order. Moreover, we have to see what the weather will be doing tomorrow,” the 29-year old said.

Rockenfeller’s fiercest rival Bruno Spengler (BMW) failed to benefit from the weak performance of the points’ leader. The runner-up in the drivers’ standings was classified tenth in qualifying and will thus be starting right in front of Rockenfeller on Sunday. “I am disappointed and not satisfied with the car. We are just not consistent enough, but anything can still happen,” the Canadian said.

An overview of the tyre choice of each driver for the start of the race on Sunday will be published on www.dtm.com on Saturday evening. The seventh DTM round of the season will cover 49 laps or 177.821 kilometres and will start on Sunday at 13.30 hrs. ARD is broadcasting live from 13.15 hrs.