DTM

A FIERY WEEKEND IN THE NETHERLANDS: DTM ZANDVOORT RACE REVIEW.

DTM made it’s first flyaway stop of the season at Circuit Zandvoort for Round 3 of the championship.

Published

1 year ago

June 11, 2024

A FIERY WEEKEND IN THE NETHERLANDS: DTM ZANDVOORT RACE REVIEW.

It is a beautiful morning in The Netherlands. Little birds chirping around, the sun glistening in the sky, flowers blooming in every corner. It’s one of those days where you feel grateful for being born. As you soak in these blessings god bestowed upon you, you hear a roaring sound. The next thing you know, you are sitting at Circuit Zandvoort with German Touring Cars whizzing past you because it’s the DTM weekend in the Netherlands.

The daunting 4 km track has put the greatest names in motorsports in a twist. Even Formula One drivers call this track a challenging weekend. But regardless of it’s challenging nature, the drivers are more than ready to face it.

Kelvin van der Linde is fully motivated and wants to turn his last win in Race 1 at Lausitzring into a double streak of wins. Thomas Preining had a poor start to the season at Oschersleben, finishing a low P10 & P13 in Race 1 & Race 2 respectively . He redeemed himself at the Lausitzring with a win in Race 2 but he has high hopes to perform better this weekend. Last year’s Race 1 winner Maro Engel aims to be back on the podium and continue his podium campaign as he has finished in the top 3 twice this season. Mercedes AMG Team HRT driver and Indian Arjun Maini has been on a phenomenal run this year, scoring a P8 and P4 at Oschersleben and a P7 & P12 at Lausitzring. The has waved the tricolor high, scoring points in every race this championship campaign.

The weekend lasted from the 7th of June till the 9th of June. With a lot of action and storylines continuing from Lausitzring, let’s get into how to weekend went by.

FREE PRACTICE

The fastest man in FP1 in the morning was Nicki Thiim from SSR Performance.

“It is a few years since my last race weekend in Zandvoort.”
Nicki thiim on his stints at the dutch race track.

FP2 saw three different drivers, Lucas Auer; Clemens Schmid & Kelvin van der Linde top the time sheets. All three drivers separated by just 0.7 seconds. Auer set one flyer of a lap which was then topped by the others. The main reason for such quick lap times is Track Evolution. More rubber on the track means more grip leading to better and quicker lap times.

“We made good progress from the first to the second free practice session. However, people keep their cards to their chest right to the end in the DTM. As such, I am intrigued to see how we get on in qualifying. Grid position is very important in Zandvoort, as it is difficult to overtake here,”
Auer gives his insights on zandvoort

QUALIFYING

Qualifying 1 saw an electrifying performance from Jack Aitken as he set his Ferrari on pole for Race 1. The Brit set a blistering lap of 1:31.762, which let his team at Emil Frey Racing celebrate. Clemens Schmid placed second with his McLaren, setting a 1:32.136. Arjun Maini took a brilliant P3 with 1:32.209.

Maini was very pleased to be placed P3 for Race 1. The Indian has finished in the top five in all but one of the qualifying sessions so far this season. Aitken secured his third pole position of his DTM career with his Ferrari 296.

“I have the best starting position and am looking forward to the race. The goal is obviously to win, in order to move back towards the top of the championship,”
Jack aitken on his pole position for Race 1

Qualifying 2 had Maximillian Paul take his maiden Pole for Paul Motorsports, placing his #71 Lamborghini on the front row of the grid with a 1:32.780 . Fellow Lamborghini driver Mirko Bortolotti placed his car alongside Paul to lock out the front row. Both Emil Frey driver Thierry Vermuelen and Jack Aitken locked out the second row for their team. Arjun Maini performed spectacularly once again and placed fifth, setting a 1:33.053.

“As a new team, to start from pole in our third weekend in the DTM is really impressive and the reward for our hard work. However, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels now, as the field is very strong and includes many works drivers. The key to the race is to stay cool and put our foot down,”
Max Paul on his maiden Pole Position at Zandvoort.

RACE

Race 1 had Jack Aitken storm off of Pole Position and into the lead with Schmid close behind in his McLaren. The order followed as Maini, Feller & Auer. Rene Rast made swift moves up the pack in his BMW to move up to 4th from 7th. Quick pitstops helped Aitken maintain his lead and Rast shaved seconds off of Schmid who was running in 2nd. Rast kept up the blinding speed to pass Maini and Schmid to take 2nd place. Schmid meanwhile kept losing pace and was eventually overthrown by Maini and had to settle for fourth place. The chequered flag fell and Aitken took home the victory with Rast in second and Maini finished up the podium. Ben Dorr bagged the Fastest lap for Dorr Motorsports in his McLaren 750S GT3 EVO.

“Three race weekends in and I already have two wins to my name, that is awesome. The key was that I managed to open a bit of a gap immediately after the start. After that, I could control the race from the front. I could often see René Rast in my mirror in the closing stages, but I did not let that distract me,”
Aitken after his win in Race 1.

Rene Rast seemed very thrilled to be on the podium as he did not believe he’d be up there after his performance on Friday.

“After our performance on Friday, it really did not look as though we would be on the podium…. The race was really great fun.”
Rast on his performance in Race 1.

Arjun Maini felt that he could have pushed harder for a better result and he knew his Mercedes could have helped him score higher than he did.

“I am finally back on the DTM podium. That feels super……I was hoping there may possibly be more in it for me. However, Jack Aitken and René Rast were faster than me at the end.”
Maini on his p3 finish

Race 2

Race 2 saw Polesitter Maximillian Paul shoot off at the start but falling short at Turn 2 as Mirko Bortolotti overtook him to take the lead of the race. A couple laps later, Auer and Schmid partook in a skirmish leading to a crash, bringing out the Safety Car. Home hero Thierry Vermuelen and Kelvin van der Linde occupied P4 and P5 respectively.

As the race progressed, Bortolotti kept the lead. BMW’s Marco Wittmann led an electrifying charge through the field and got lucky with his pitstops. He found himself leading the pack. Bortolotti hit Wittmann but the BMW driver kept pushing and won in spectacular fashion. He took the chequered flag after 38 laps. From 14th to 1st. He was followed close behind by Bortolotti and Kelvin van der Linde. Arjun Maini and his Mercedes finished a strong P6 and bagged valuable points after his podium campaign in Race 1. The Fastest Lap was clocked in by Nicki Thiim with a 1:34.609s.

“I never thought I would come from so far back to win…..I am just overjoyed that I was able to bring home the win,”
Wittmann after his win in Race 2.

“When you take the lead in turn one and are out in front for so many laps, you obviously want to win. In the end, I have to settle for second place. The rear axle felt strange in the closing laps, and the drivers behind me put me under an awful lot of pressure.”
Mirko Bortelotti after hi p2 finish.

“I am particularly pleased with third place for our crew, who have been very busy recently, with two DTM events and the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.”
Kelvin van der linde thanking his team after his p3 finish

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Zandvoort proved to be a ground for tough battles, redemptions, and surprises for the drivers. DTM next heads to the Norisring from the 5th of July to the 7th of July.

DTM

DTM Zandvoort Review: Rene Rast, Ayhancan Guven Victorious as Arjun Maini Shines on Sunday to Achieve his Best Result Yet in 2025:

Rain spices things up for DTM inZandvoort as Rast and Guven take race wins. Meanwhile Arjun Maini orchestrates a comeback drive on Sunday.

Published

1 week ago

June 13, 2025

Akshat Ranjan

DTM Zandvoort Review: Rene Rast, Ayhancan Guven Victorious as Arjun Maini Shines on Sunday to Achieve his Best Result Yet in 2025:

Image Credits: Gruppe C Photography

Zandvoort saw top-tier racing and incredible DTM action. The weekend saw intermittent rainfall and therefore, unpredictable results. Underdogs such as Nicki Thiim and Max Paul had success, while the favourites like Lucas Auer, Jordan Pepper and Maro Engel would’ve hoped for better results.

Guven Holds his Composure in a Rain-Affected Chaotic Saturday Race

Strategy played a key role in Saturday’s race as the sun played hide and seek. Jordan Pepper showed exceptional skill during qualifying to secure pole position in tricky wet conditions. However, he failed to convert pole to win due to a strategy mishap. Pepper delayed his pitstop to avoid the crowded pit lane once the pit window opened. Later, when he did come into the pits, a slow stop meant that he lost the lead of the race. Maro Engel had a disappointing race, finishing P9, starting from P2. At the race start, he lost a couple of positions to Luca Engstler and Ayhancan Guven. Later in the race, Engel entered the pit lane one lap too early, before the pit window opened, due to a suspected radio miscommunication. This was effectively a drive-through and cost him the race.

Ayhancan Guven held his composure amidst the chaos and drove an excellent race to secure only his second DTM win, after his first at Oschersleben. Nicki Thiim and Max Paul finished P2 and P3, both starting from outside the top 10 thanks to a daring strategy. Thiim and Paul started the race on slicks and lost nearly 30 seconds to the leaders in the first 5 laps, however, a late stop allowed them to retain track position, and they cashed in their advantage to finish on the podium. Morris Schuring and Marco Whittmann fought till the end, with Schuring crossing the line just 0.017 seconds ahead of Whittmann to secure P5.

“It was a crazy race today. I got off to a good start and battled with Luca [Engstler], then we had a really good pitstop. The strategy was excellent too, but given the conditions, it was definitely walking a fine line.” – Said Guven

The race also saw multiple collisions and pit stop drama. Timo Glock made contact with Gilles Magnus’s Aston Martin, which sent him into a massive rally-style drift into the gravel. He did well to keep the car out of the barriers; however, a puncture meant that he had to retire from the race. Three-time DTM champion Rene Rast made contact with the barriers not once, but twice! Among other retirements, Arjun Maini too suffered an unfortunate retirement in his Ford.

BMW Dominates on Sunday for a 1-2 Finish

After a chaotic Saturday, Race 2 was comparatively uneventful. Rene Rast started from pole and drove an excellent race to convert it into a win. Marco Whittmann celebrated his 200th DTM race with a P2 finish and a 1-2 for BMW and Schubert Motorsport. Whittmann had a good start and straight away overtook Jack Aitken’s Ferrari in the first corner of the first lap to put himself in P2. Later, he piled on the pressure in the closing laps; however, Rast was successful in keeping him behind.

“I was clearly faster towards the end, I could attack, but it just wasn’t enough” – Said Whittmann

Jack Aitken and Thomas Preining had a fierce battle for 3rd; however, they could not keep up with the 2 BMWs. Preining emerged victorious from the battle to round up the podium. Maro Engel had a much better race, as compared to Saturday, and made up 7 places to finish P5. Fabio Scherer suffered a driveshaft problem, due to which he retired before the start of the race. Saturday’s polesitter Jordan Pepper suffered a DNF after a puncture due to contact with Thierry Vermeulen’s Ferrari.

Arjun Maini Shines on Sunday

After a disappointing result on Saturday, Arjun Maini bounced back on Sunday and drove a brilliant race in his new team. This also showed positive signs for the HRT team as well as Arjun Maini as they continue to familiarize themselves with the new car. A few weeks earlier, at Lausitzring, Maini showed promising signs with a brilliant drive from P20 to P12. This weekend at Zandvoort, starting from P16, he made up 6 places to achieve his best finish so far in 2025, driving the new Ford Mustang. This included his incredible battle with the McLaren of Ben Dorr, where none of the two drivers seemed too yield. However, Maini kept his head down and made the overtake stick. Maini and the team hope to continue this upward trend and hope to be fighting at the front of the field soon.

Championship Standings

A race win for Ayhancan Guven and Rene Rast propelled them into the top 3 in the driver’s championship. Lucas Auer continues to lead with 91 points, followed by Rast at 75 and Guven at 73. Jules Gounon and Maro Engel are close behind at 73 and 72 points, respectively. Arjun Maini currently sits at 17th in the standings.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DTM (@dtm.official)

Manthey leads the team’s standings with 145 points. After a brilliant Sunday for Schubert Motorsport, they close the gap to Winward Racing as both teams are at 139 points. Mercedes maintains a healthy gap of 30 points in the manufacturer’s standings. Porsche is in 2nd with 152 points, followed closely by BMW at 142 and Lamborghini at 137.

Month-long Break Until Norisring

After an incredible weekend at Zandvoort, DTM resumes on 4-6 July at Norisring. Norisring is the only street circuit on the DTM calendar. Championship leader Lucas Auer will look to bounce back after failing to secure a podium at Zandvoort. Maro Engel will also hope to fight at the front for a win. Guven and Rast will enter the weekend with loads of confidence after their wins and will look to close the gap to the top of the standings.

Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X/, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.

DTM

DTM Lausitzring: Jordan Pepper Leads Heading into Lausitz

As DTM heads to Lausitzring, Jordan Pepper leads while Auer and Guven come with confidence after taking wins in the last round.

Published

1 month ago

May 22, 2025

Anuj Tripathi

DTM Lausitzring: Jordan Pepper Leads Heading into Lausitz

Image Credits: Gruppe C Photography

DTM is all set to make a stop at the DEKRA Lausitzring this weekend for Round 2 of the championship. The South African Jordan Pepper is leading the championship, but race winners Lucas Auer and Ayhancan Guven come into this weekend with lots of confidence. Let’s see who comes out on top at Lausitzring.

Jordan Pepper Looking for his First Win of the Season

Jordan might be leading the championship, but the Lamborghini driver did not win any races last time out. Thanks to his consistent qualifying and race results, the South African has managed to get the most points of anyone and take the championship lead. For Jordan, the goal this weekend would be to repeat that form and continue to get consistent points on the board, although he would not be completely opposed to getting some wins while he is at it.

Auer and Guven Carrying Momentum from Last Round

For Lucas Auer, Race 1 last time around was perfect as he started from Pole and was in control throughout to take the win when the chequered flag dropped. Guven too, impressed everyone by executing the perfect strategy to become the first ever winner, a Turkish driver to win in DTM. Both these drivers are on 34 points, just 3 behind the championship leader Jordan Pepper.

“I won my first DTM race at the Lausitzring in 2016; that was something of a breakthrough. The track is technically demanding, but also really cool to drive,” said Auer.

Arjun Maini and HRT are familiarising themselves with the Mustang

Both Arjun and HRT have been long-time associated with Mercedes, so shifting to Ford this year was a bold move. The new kid on the block is still getting to grips with the German team. Last weekend, Arjun was the quickest Ford of the two and also helped the American manufacturer score a point on debut. This weekend, the team and the Indian driver would be looking to build on the experience they have gained and hopefully move up in the grid. With the BoP balancing out the manufacturers in DTM, one can expect them to challenge for the top 10, if not for podiums and wins.

Schedule and Where to Watch DTM in India

You can watch all the sessions of DTM live on Fancode with a weekend pass for just this weekend or a full season pass for the full DTM season. The complete schedule in IST is given below.

Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.

DTM

Auer and Güven Shine as DTM Kicks Off in Oschersleben

Published

2 months ago

April 28, 2025

Anuj Tripathi

Auer and Güven Shine as DTM Kicks Off in Oschersleben

Credits: Gruppe C Photography

The 2025 season of DTM kicked off in Oschersleben, and it was Lucas Auer in his Mercedes AMG GT3 who took the first win of the new season on Saturday. Sunday saw a flawless strategic drive from Ayhancan Güven, giving him and Turkey their first DTM win.

SATURDAY: Lucas Auer Takes His 10th Career Win in DTM

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in Oschersleben, and Lucas Auer made a perfect start to his season, starting from Pole, taking the fastest lap and winning the first race of the 2025 DTM season.

Auer made the perfect getaway in his Mercedes AMG GT3 in the race to keep his lead going into turn 1 and soon opened up a 4-second lead from Jordan Pepper in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo, who was running in second. Jules Guonon in the Mercedes AMG GT3 was third after overtaking the Porsche works driver Thomas Preining, and Maro Engel slotted in fifth.

On lap 18, Auer, Pepper and Preining all decided to enter the pits for their mandatory stops. While Auer was stationary for longer, it wasn’t long enough for Pepper to jump him in the pits. After the round of pit stops, Auer was again in front and had managed to open up a decent gap between him and Pepper.

The Mercedes driver kept his lead for the rest of the race and took the chequered flag to celebrate his 10th DTM victory. Pepper followed in second, meanwhile, Maro Engel had displayed tactical prowess to overtake Preining for third position, with the Porsche driver coming in on 4th. Jules Guonon finished fifth, making it 3 Mercedes cars in the top 5.

“A top start to the new season! The start of the race was superb. However, I later lost all the lead I had established when having to lap other cars. As such, I am delighted that the guys in the pit lane produced a really strong performance during the tyre change,” said Auer.

SUNDAY: Güven Executes Strategy to Perfection to Take Maiden DTM Win

Ayhancan Güven became the first driver from Turkey to win a race in DTM. The Team Manthey EMA driver in his Porsche 911 GT3 R displayed strong tactical and driving performance to take the win, having started 4th in Race 2 at Oschersleben.

Mercedes driver Jules Gounon was starting in pole for the second race at Oschersleben with Jordan Pepper accompanying him on the front row. Guonon got a good launch to stay ahead of Pepper into Turn 1, meanwhile Guven overtook Ferrari driver Thierry Vermeulen to take third position behind the front runners.

During the first round of pit stops, Guven chose to go long when everyone else was making their stops. This helped him jump both Guonon and Pepper to take the lead in the race after making his first stop. A new race format meant drivers had to make 2 stops in the race on Sunday. Guven kept his lead of the race through the second round of stops as well and took the chequered flag, making him the first driver from Turkey to win a race in DTM. Jules Guonon finished second as Thomas Preining made 4 positions to finish in 3rd, having started in 7th.

“This moment has been my ultimate goal since my first DTM race. Last year was rather disappointing for me, so it feels all the better to start the new season with a win. My father was right next to the podium and was my first to congratulate me. As my mentor, he played a major role in this success,” said a delighted Turk.

A weekend of learning for Arjun Maini and HRT

Arjun Maini entered his fifth season in DTM, this time in a Ford machinery. After spending 4 years with Mercedes, Arjun made a switch to Ford, becoming their Factory Driver earlier this year. It was a switch for the team as well, as HRT, who had been associated with Mercedes for many years, rebranded themselves to HRT Ford Performance from this year onwards.

As a result of the change, it was obvious that this weekend would be a weekend of learning. Both Arjun and the team are getting used to the Ford Mustang GT3 and are learning more and more with every passing weekend. Maini was comfortably the faster Ford throughout the weekend, with the Indian driver even scoring a points finish in Race 1, debuting for Ford. As Maini and HRT get more and more comfortable with the car with every passing weekend, we are sure that the Indian driver will soon be fighting for top spots in the championship

#36 Arjun Maini (IND / Ford Mustang GT3 / HRT Ford Performance), during DTM Oschersleben 2025 - Photo: Gruppe C Photography — #36 Arjun Maini (IND / Ford Mustang GT3 / HRT Ford Performance), Oschersleben 2025 – Photo: Gruppe C Photography

Championship Standings and Up Next

South African Jordan Pepper leaves Oschersleben as the championship leader, thanks to his strong and consistent performance during the weekend.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DTM (@dtm.official)

Meanwhile, in the Manufacturers’ Championship, it’s Mercedes on 68 points, 4 points ahead of Porsche in 64.

DTM heads to Lausitzring next from 23-25 May and you can watch all the action live only on Fancode in India.

Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.