Timo Scheider is back: The 2008 and 2009 DTM Champion in the AUTO TEST Audi RS 5 DTM of Audi Sport Team Phoenix claimed a commanding win of the first of the two final DTM races at Hockenheim. For Scheider, this has been the first victory in the DTM since October 2010. The German who lives in Austria started from the front row and on lap two overtook the BMW of Maxime Martin, the fastest driver in qualifying. Subsequently, Scheider increasingly pulled clear of his immediate rivals, drove the fastest race lap and in the end crossed the finish line with a 2.875-second advantage over Jamie Green (Hoffmann Group Audi RS 5 DTM/Audi Sport Team Rosberg).
Following a good qualifying session, the minimal title chances of Mattias Ekström (Red Bull Audi RS 5 DTM) and Edoardo Mortara (Castrol EDGE Audi RS 5 DTM/both Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline) remained intact. But lap one already produced the preliminary decision in the title race. Mortara had to pit following contact with another car and subsequently retired after another collision. Mattias Ekström dropped from seventh to 18th place at the start. In the duel with leader of the standings Pascal Wehrlein he was sent into a spin by Wehrlein’s brand colleague Robert Wickens on lap three. From position 20, Ekström still managed to recover to ninth place and, as a result, improved to second place again in the standings. However, the drivers’ classification went to Mercedes driver Pascal Wehrlein early.
The manufacturers’ classification, in which Audi passed Mercedes-Benz on Saturday and is trailing BMW in second place by 56 points before the final race on Sunday (from 15.00, CEST, live on ARD), remains open. Valuable points were scored on Saturday by Jamie Green and Mike Rockenfeller. From position five on the grid, Green battled his way forward to second place and went on to complete Audi’s one-two result. In fierce duels, the Briton overtook the BMW of Maxime Martin and the Mercedes of Paul Di Resta, subsequently kept both of them at bay without DRS help, and mounted the podium again for the first time since the Lausitzring race at the end of May. Rockenfeller in the Schaeffler Audi RS 5 DTM finished in fifth place.
