DTM
DTM kicks off in Oschersleben!
The first round of DTM concluded yesterday with Jack Aitken and Luca Engstler emerging as winners.
The 2024 DTM season kicked off last weekend at Oschersleben. A total of 20 drivers are competing in the DTM in 2024, representing nine teams and seven different manufacturers. Indian driver Arjun Maini is competing with Racing Team HRT in the #36 Mercedes.
Aitken wins! (Round 1 Race 1)
Fans and drivers experienced a mix of feelings during the first DTM race in Oschersleben. Jack Aitken started in pole position and led for a long time in his Ferrari 296 GT3. However, BMW’s Marco Wittmann cleverly took the lead after a pit stop but had to retire due to a technical issue just four minutes before the end. Aitken regained the lead and won the race, his second DTM victory, with Mirko Bortolotti in a Lamborghini and Ricardo Feller in an Audi coming in second and third, respectively.
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“I’m just happy that I won the race. Marco Wittmann played well with a late pit stop. At first I couldn’t believe that I had lost the lead. In the last few minutes the tide turned again and I think the victory was deserved despite the strange circumstances,”
JackAitken after his race win.
Aitken started strong on Saturday afternoon, quickly building a lead ahead of Bortolotti and Feller in second and third, followed by Maini and van der Linde. Even after the pit stop, Aitken stayed ahead while Bortolotti and Feller swapped positions.
About 25 minutes before the end, Ben Dörr’s McLaren lost a wheel, leading Wittmann to make a quick pit stop for tire change under a full-course yellow phase. This strategic move catapulted Wittmann from 16th to first place, surpassing Aitken. However, Wittmann’s hopes for victory were dashed when he had to retire shortly before the race’s end.
This setback cleared the path for Aitken, who maintained his lead to the finish line. Bortolotti overtook Feller to secure second place, followed by van der Linde and Stolz. Auer finished sixth, followed by Rast in seventh and Maini in eighth. Vermeulen took ninth place, while defending champion Preining managed to gain six positions to finish in tenth.
Luca Engstler wins his first DTM race (Round 1 Race 2)
Luca Engstler from Lamborghini Team Liqui Moly by GRT achieved a stunning victory in the Sunday race at Oschersleben, with his father, touring car legend Franz Engstler, watching. Starting from fourth place, the 24-year-old drove flawlessly to claim his first DTM win. Maro Engel finished second, and Luca Stolz took third, both racing for Mercedes-AMG Team HRT and Mercedes-AMG Team Winward, respectively, in their teams’ 50th DTM races.
“To be honest, I never once thought about winning my first DTM race here. After a yellow phase in the middle of the race, it became clear to me lap after lap that I was on course for victory. In moments like this, it’s important not to let your mind wander and to stay fully focused,”
– Luca after the race win
During Sunday’s race, the Cupra safety car was deployed early on lap 1 due to Jack Aitken stopping his Ferrari 296 GT3 after contact. The race restarted on lap 5 with pole sitter Mirko Bortolotti and Luca Stolz diving away from the pack initially, with Engstler close behind and Maini following in fourth. An incident involving Vermeulen’s Ferrari resulted in a full-course yellow, allowing Engstler and Engel to take the top positions having already completed their mandatory stops.
Engstler maintained his lead, while Engel secured second place. Stolz took third place as Bortolotti fell back to 16th place after a failed tire change. Maini took the checkered flag in fourth place – behind the 26-year-old were the two brothers Kelvin (ZA/Abt Sportsline) and Sheldon van der Linde (ZA/Schubert Motorsport). Three-time champion Rast drove his BWM M4 GT3 to seventh place. Christian Engelhart (Starnberg) secured the eighth position for himself and the Lamborghini Team TGI by GRT. The last few meters were unfortunate for the Swiss Ricardo Feller: Shortly before the end, the Abt Sportsline driver struggled with technical problems in fifth place, but was still able to bring his Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2 to the finish line in ninth place. Marco Wittmann (Fürth) completed the top ten with the third BMW M4 GT3 from Schubert Motorsport.
A strong weekend for Maini
Arjun Maini wrapped up the first round of this season finishing both races in points, 8th in Race 1 and 4th in Race 2 having qualified 3rd and 5th in Race 1 and Race 2 respectively. Throughout the weekend, the Indian driver showed excellent speed in both qualifying and race conditions, earning praise from commentators who described him as ‘reborn’ in this series. While luck didn’t favor him due to the timing of safety car interventions in both races, these performances are promising indicators. Looking ahead, there’s optimism for a good season, especially considering his impressive speed on the track.
DTM heads to Lausitzring for Round 2 of the championship from May 24th. You can watch all the action live in India on Fancode.
DTM
DTM Red Bull Ring: Arjun Maini’s best weekend with Pole and 2 Podiums
DTM made its second stop outside of Germany at the Red Bull Ring in Austria and it was the best weekend Indian driver Arjun Maini has had in the championship till now. The Mercedes driver scored his maiden Pole Position and went on to score 2 podiums that weekend.
Saturday: Maini takes his first pole as Bortolotti takes his first win
Saturday was a historic day for Indian Motorsports as Arjun Maini became the first Indian to score a pole position in DTM.
It was a day of firsts as Marko Bortolotti scored his first win of the season, propelling him to the top of the DTM standings. The Lamborghini driver from SSR Performance expertly handled tricky weather conditions, choosing rain tires at the start and commanding the race early on. He overtook Arjun Maini and Maro Engel to build an impressive lead, securing victory despite late pressure from Engel. This win, Bortolotti’s fourth DTM triumph, positions him as the title favourite with just three races remaining.
Engel followed closely in second, while Maini finished third after starting from pole. Luca Stolz secured fourth, completing a strong day for Mercedes-AMG, while Ayhancan Güven delivered a remarkable charge to fifth place. Former championship leader Kelvin van der Linde climbed from 17th to eighth, now trailing Bortolotti by just ten points. René Rast and Ricardo Feller rounded out the top ten in a race dominated by strategic tire choices amid evolving track conditions.
“That was probably the best victory of my life. We made the right decision and opted for rain tires at the beginning. I knew that if I was clever and kept the tires in a good window for a long time, I could open up a gap. I managed that,” said Bortolotti
Maro Engel and Arjun Maini in Red Bull Ring Race 1 (Photo: Gruppe C Photography)
Sunday: René Rast Triumphs Again at Red Bull Ring to take his 28th Career Victory
René Rast continued his dominance at the Red Bull Ring, winning the 14th DTM race of the season on Sunday for his 28th career victory. The BMW works driver from Schubert Motorsport executed a brilliant strategy, moving from fourth to first despite a poor start. His main rival, Thomas Preining in the Porsche 911 GT3 R, finished second after a relentless chase. Arjun Maini impressed again, securing third. Championship leader Mirko Bortolotti finished fourth, extending his lead by 15 points with just a few races left.
Pole-setter Bortolotti initially led but was overtaken by Rast after pit stops shuffled the order. Preining and Maini also overtook the Lamborghini driver, with Kelvin van der Linde finishing fifth. Sheldon van der Linde claimed sixth for BMW, while Ayhancan Güven and Maro Engel placed seventh and eighth. Franck Perera finished ninth, with Ferrari’s Jack Aitken rounding out the top ten.
“It was an action-packed, hard-fought race. The podium feels even better than the one on Saturday because I was able to work my way up from eighth place on the grid to third place. The decisive factor was that I got my tires up to the right temperature quickly after the pit stop.” – Arjun Maini after Race 2
With only a few races left, the battle for the DTM championship remains fierce, and all eyes will be on Bortolotti, Rast, and van der Linde as the season reaches its climax. DTM heads next to Hockenheimring for the final round of the weekend from 18-20th October.
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DTM
DTM 2024: Cars back in action at the Nürburgring GP
DTM is coming back after the summer break with the Nürburgring GP this weekend. In true DTM fashion, we already have 7 different winners in the 8 races conducted so far. And this weekend is predicted to be no less exciting! Read DRC’s preview for the weekend in the Eifel.
Championship fight continues
The 2024 DTM championship is currently lead by Mirko Bortolotti. However, he himself is yet to win a race this season.
The SSR Performance driver has had a good record at this track. In 2023, Bortolotti had a lights to flag victory in Race 1. This season, he has visited the podium thrice, with his best position being a P2. However, being at the top wouldn’t be a cakewalk for the Italian.
Kelvin Van Der Linde sits in P2, just six points adrift Bortolotti. He has been finishing every race in the points so far this season. He also has managed to finish in the top 6 in five races so far, which is another feat. However, Kelvin cannot rest for now as he has got another Nürburgring master on his tail.
René Rast (Schubert Motorsport) has had an excellent record at this track. He is a three-time winner at this track, winning with Audi. Now with BMW, he has amassed 65 points in just the last 4 races, winning most recently in Race 1 at Norisring. He now sits in third in the championship, 11 points away from the lead.
Now whether the three time world champion is able to recreate his Nürburgring magic will be a wait-and-watch affair.
Home advantage coming in clutch?
Two teams on the grid are based just near the track. Manthey EMA are headquartered in Meuspath, just beside the track.
Thomas Preining, piloting the no. 91 Manthey EMA, will be hoping for a strong performance to improve his position from 6th in the standings.
Another team with home advantage is Mercedes-AMG Team HRT. Located in Drees, the team has Luco Stolz and our very own Arjun Maini as its drivers.
Maini has been driving a spectacular season so far. Finishing in P4 at the last race, Maini is well ahead of his teammate in the standings. With 76 points under his belt, Maini is sitting in P5. However, he is slowly falling behind the top 4, who are engaged in the title fight. Maini will need to claw some essential points this weekend to get back into the title fight.
Track safari at the Nürburgring GP
Another sight to see this weekend will be the track safari being conducted. Fans will be allowed to board coaches on Friday and go on the track at the same time as the powerful GT3s, making for an unforgettable experience.
Track information
The track in use this weekend will be the Nürburgring sprint circuit. With just 3.6 kilometers of length, fans will be treated with frequent racing action. The weather in the Eifel region is already famous for being unpredictable enough to change the pitting strategy within a lap. All this makes up for a very interesting race weekend for us fans to watch.
When and Where to watch
All the sessions will be streamed on Fancode in India.
The schedule is as follows:
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DTM
DTM Norisring: Rast and Thiim win on the streets of Nuremberg
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.
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