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:
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