Assen. The tenth DTM race of the year saw an impressive
recovery performance at Assen (NED) from Marco Wittmann (GER) in the
Schaeffler BMW M4 DTM, as he moved up from 18th on the
grid to finish second. After his win in the wet on Saturday, the
BMW Team RMG driver also proved to be the best-placed BMW driver in
dry conditions on Sunday. Victory went to Audi driver Mike
Rockenfeller (GER).
Wittmann’s fellow BMW drivers did not manage to score any points on
the TT Circuit. Philipp Eng (AUT, ZF BMW M4 DTM), Timo Glock (GER,
JiVS BMW M4 DTM) and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA, Shell BMW M4 DTM) had
to settle for 13th, 14th and 15th
positions. Joel Eriksson (SWE, CATL BMW M4 DTM) and Bruno Spengler
(CAN, BMW Bank M4 DTM) both were forced to retire.
Tyre management was a crucial factor for all drivers. Wittmann only
needed to make one stop during his sensational recovery performance as
he raced from the back of the grid to the podium. He is now in third
place in the drivers’ standings with 118 points, and is 40 points
behind leader René Rast (GER, Audi). In the manufacturers’ standings,
BMW now has 406 points.
Reactions to the tenth DTM race of the 2019 season at Assen.
Rudolf Dittrich (General Manager BMW Motorsport Vehicle Development):
“Sunday’s race at Assen followed a totally different
script to the events in the wet on Saturday. Tyre management was the
decisive factor. Towards the end, virtually all drivers were
struggling and some had to make a second pit stop. Without a doubt,
Marco Wittmann was the man of the race. He finished second after
starting from 18th on the grid. In the closing stages, he
was just concentrating on getting the car home and defending his
position on his well-worn tyres. He managed to do that, showing once
again how well he can manage tyres over the distance. He scored some
important points. However, the race took a disappointing course for
our other drivers. We will take a close look at the reasons for our
problems to deliver consistently strong pace. Assen has proved to be a
great addition to the DTM calendar and provided spectacular motorsport
in wet and dry conditions. Both races were real DTM highlights for the
spectators. Congratulations to Mike Rockenfeller on his win today.”
Bart Mampaey (BMW Team RBM Team Principal):
“Firstly, congratulations are in order for Marco Wittmann on his
performance. Moving up from 18th place to finish second is
excellent. The race did not go well for us as the pace was simply not
there. Joel Eriksson had to retire, and we chose a different strategy
for the other cars with a second pit stop, but that didn’t help us much.”
Philipp Eng (#25 ZF BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR, Grid:
8th, Race: 13th, Drivers’ standings:
4th, 111 points):
“I am extremely disappointed after this race, and I cannot explain
why we were not competitive. The tyres were done for after just a few
laps and I could not attack. All we can do is write this race off.”
Joel Eriksson (#47 CATL BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RBM, Grid:
11th, Race: 16th, Drivers’ standings:
10th, 43 points):
“We already had a few problems in qualifying, although the pace was
actually good. The set-up was great. In the race, I was in the wrong
place at the wrong time a few times and then I had to retire. It was
just not my weekend.”
Sheldon van der Linde (#31 Shell BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RBM,
Grid: 6th, Race: 15th, Drivers’ standings:
13th, 26 points):
“To be honest, I don’t know what the reason for that was today. I
started well and made quick progress. But then I had contact – and
after that, the car stopped working like it should. It wasn’t like in
qualifying, we were right off the pace. We will have to take a close
look at that now.”
Stefan Reinhold (BMW Team RMG Team Principal):
“What a race. It was clear to see that it is always worth continuing
the fight. The guys did a great job on the race strategy – and Marco
Wittmann delivered yet another masterful race. If you really exert
yourself, something good will come of it. And that is how we will
continue to work.”
Marco Wittmann (#11 Schaeffler BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMG, Grid:
18th, Race: 2nd, Drivers’ standings:
3rd, 118 points):
“Second place is just mad! After qualifying, I started the race in a
bit of a rage. The first lap was great and my pace quickly moved me up
into the top ten. Then we decided to make an early pit stop but I
never expected to make it to the end on those tyres. It really worked
out, though. Once again, this weekend showed that you can never give
up in the DTM and that anything is possible.”
Bruno Spengler (#7 BMW Bank M4 DTM, BMW Team RMG, Grid:
12th, Race: DNF, Drivers’ standings: 6th, 77 points):
“My steering was slightly damaged during qualifying in the morning,
however, we couldn’t do anything about it due to the Parc Fermé and we
decided to give it a go in the race. Unfortunately, the problem got
worse and my front left tyre was showing some severe wear. We had no
choice but to head for the pits.”
Timo Glock (#16 BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR, Grid:
9th, Race: 14th, Drivers’ standings:
12th, 33 points):
“I made a bad start and nearly stalled the car. Then I got stuck in
traffic, which led to greater tyre wear. The front left tyre suffered
particularly badly. All we could hope for was a safety car that never came.”