It was a weekend of René Rast won his first race of the 2024 season driving flawlessly in changing conditions. On Sunday, it was Nicki Thiim who won his first-ever DTM race. Here’s how the weekend unfolded.
Read the preview of the Norisring weekend here

Rene Rast takes his first win of the season on Saturday

Saturday’s race at the Norisring started with Jack Aitken from Emil Frey Racing taking the lead in his Ferrari 296 GT3. Aitken’s strong start put him ahead of Sheldon van der Linde (Schubert Motorsport) and Lamborghini’s Mirko Bortolotti. The race strategy centred around potential rain, with top drivers delaying their mandatory pit stops. When the rain did arrive, most drivers switched to rain tyres, but René Rast gambled on staying out with slicks. This bold decision allowed Rast to take the lead and secure victory, as his competitors on rain tyres couldn’t close the gap.

Franck Perera, who also stayed on slicks, followed in second place, while Luca Engstler climbed from 15th to finish third after an impressive charge on dry tyres. Nicki Thiim took fourth, overtaking teammate Bortolotti in the final corner. Kelvin van der Linde finished sixth, maintaining his overall lead in the championship, while his brother Sheldon van der Linde placed seventh. Maro Engel ended in eighth, with Aitken dropping to ninth after losing his early advantage. Maximilian Paul completed the top ten, capping a thrilling race defined by strategic tyre choices and changing weather conditions.

 “For me, the Norisring is one of the best tracks on the calendar, this victory feels gigantic. It got a bit louder on the radio because I absolutely wanted to continue driving with slicks despite the rain. It was a brave decision, but it paid off,” said Rene Rast

Nicki Thiim follows his father and makes history with Norisring’s victory.

In a thrilling eighth race of the DTM season, Nicki Thiim capitalized on his pole position to command the race from the start, steadily extending his lead over teammate Mirko Bortolotti. Maro Engel made an early pit stop and used his warmed-up tyres to overtake Bortolotti, securing second place. The race took an intense turn when the safety car was deployed with just ten minutes remaining, yet Thiim maintained his lead to claim victory after 69 laps.

Behind the top three, Arjun Maini delivered a commendable performance, finishing fourth in his Mercedes-AMG after a flawless race. René Rast, who started further back on the grid, displayed exceptional skill and determination, climbing 14 positions to secure fifth place in his BMW M4 GT3. Thomas Preining also impressed, advancing from 12th to 6th in his Porsche 911 GT3 R with strong overtakes in the closing laps.

The race wasn’t without drama for championship contender Kelvin van der Linde. Starting fourth, he suffered a setback after contact with Ferrari driver Jack Aitken. The collision pushed him down the order, and he ultimately finished ninth. This result saw van der Linde relinquish his lead in the championship standings to Bortolotti, with Rast moving up to third overall. Despite the setbacks, the race highlighted the resilience and tactical brilliance of the top drivers, setting the stage for an exciting second half of the 2024 DTM season.

“As a young boy, I watched my father’s DTM races here, and a win at the Norisring was always at the top of my bucket list. Repeating my father’s success feels incredible, especially after the difficult season so far. The moments after crossing the finish line were very emotional for me,” said Nicki Thiim.

Find the latest Championship Standings here.

Up Next: Norisring after a break

DTM takes a month-long break before heading to the “Green Hell” in motorsports. Round 9 of the championship will see the grid visiting Nurburgring from 16 to 18 August.

The only street circuit in Germany will play host to Round 4 of the DTM Championship. Audi driver Kelvin van der Linde arrives in Norisring as the championship leader. But the lead is only 8 points to Mirko Bortoloti in second. A race winner scores 25 points, and that is the gap between first and ninth in the championship standings.

Read the Zandvoort race weekend review here

Championship leader looking to keep his lead

The six races of the championship till now have seen 5 different winners. Kelvin van der Linde would love to change that and become the only other two-time winner this season after Jack Aitken. A strong weekend can see him leave Norisring as the championship leader.

 “I always had the pace there to be at the front, but so far not the necessary luck.”

The Audi driver has done well in Norisring, he has had 3 podium finishes in 4 races. This time around, he’d want to be on the top step of the podium.

Home Race for Marco Wittmann

The BMW Factory driver, Marco Wittmann arrives at his home race weekend and there couldn’t be a better time for him. Wittmann scored his first win of the season in Zandvoort last round.

With 10 DTM race weekends under his belt, no one knows Norisring as well as Wittmann.

“The challenge is special because you drive extremely close to the guard rails, there are no run-off areas and you therefore cannot afford to make a single mistake,” explains Wittmann.

His game plan: “You have to be extremely focused and concentrated. The Norisring may only have four corners, but that is exactly what makes the track so difficult. Because the lap times are very close together. That is what makes the Norisring special, as is the unique flair and atmosphere.”

The unique challenge of Norisring

The only street circuit has only 4 corners, just two sharp bends, and almost the entire straight ahead at full speed. But the track comes with its own set of challenges. Instead of run-off areas or gravel beds, the road is mostly limited by walls or crash barriers. Before the hairpin bend at Dutzendteich and the Grundig bend, the drivers have to brake hard, and in between the spectators experience full-throttle racing with slipstream duels. In addition, the Norisring is by far the shortest track on the calendar at 2.162 kilometers.

Arjun Maini looking to continue his strong season.

Arjun Maini is having his strongest season in DTM yet. The Indian driver has been constantly putting in performances that see him at the top end of the grid. Recently in Zandvoort, Maini scored his first podium of the season. Just 20 points off the top of the standings, Maini can mount a serious championship challenge if he keeps making such consistent performances. The Mercedes driver would also be looking to score his first win in the championship at a track where he got his first podium in his debut season.

Timings and Where to Watch

You can watch all the DTM action live on Fancode in India. Full timings in IST are given below:

Follow Desi Racing Co for regular updates from the world of motorsports.

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.