Hockenheim (DE), 16th October 2016. Marco Wittmann (DE) has become
the first BMW driver in the history of the DTM to win two Drivers’
Championships. Having won the title in 2014, he was again crowned
champion on Sunday, after finishing fourth in the final race of the
year at the Hockenheimring (DE).
The 26-year-old BMW Team RMG driver won four races in the 2016 DTM
season. His first victory of the year in the Red Bull BMW M4 DTM came
in the third race of the season in Spielberg (AT). He went on to add a
further two wins in Moscow (RU) and at the Nürburgring (DE).
Wittmann moved to the top of the Drivers’ Championship for the first
time at the Lausitzring (DE), after which he was embroiled in a
thrilling battle for the lead with Robert Wickens (CA, Mercedes),
Jamie Green (GB, Audi) and Edoardo Mortara (IT, Audi). He then wrapped
up the title in the second race in Hockenheim.
Join us, as we look back at Marco Wittmann’s route to the 2016 DTM
Drivers’ Championship.
Hockenheim (DE), 7th/8th May – Not an ideal start.
The start of the 2016 DTM season by no means goes to plan for Marco
Wittmann. At the wheel of the Red Bull BMW M4 DTM, he is initially the
best-placed BMW driver after the opening laps. However, the driver
from Fürth is then involved in a collision, through no fault of his
own, and consequently drops well back through the field. Wittmann
crosses the finish line in 16th place – well outside the points.
Wittmann finishes eighth in Sunday’s race to score his first four
points of the season. Augusto Farfus (BR) in the Shell BMW M4 DTM and
Maxime Martin (BE) in the SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM come home second and
third to claim the first two podium finishes of the 2016 season for BMW.
Position in the Drivers’ Championship after two of 18 races: 12th
place – 4 points
Spielberg (AT), 21st/22nd May – Start-finish victory in the Alps.
BMW’s 250th race in the history of the DTM is a successful one for
BMW: Marco Wittmann converts pole position into a commanding victory
in Saturday’s race at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg (AT). Tom
Blomqvist (GB) follows him over the line in the Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM
to complete the first BMW one-two of the year. Wittmann remains the
man for the big occasion: his triumph is the 70th victory for BMW in
the DTM. In 2014 he claimed the first victory with the BMW M4 DTM,
which also marked the 60th success for BMW in the DTM. Wittmann’s
team-mate Timo Glock (DE) has cause for celebration in Spielberg on
the Sunday, claiming the third DTM win of his career. Wittmann is seventh.
Position in the Drivers’ Championship after four of 18 races: 5th
place – 35 points
Lausitzring (DE), 4th/5th June – A taste of the lead.
Marco Wittmann takes the lead in the DTM Drivers’ Championship for
the first time after race five of the year at the Lausitzring (DE).
The BMW Team RMG driver starts Saturday’s race from third on the grid
and goes on to cross the finish line in fourth place in the Red Bull
BMW M4 DTM, after 32 flawless laps and a fierce battle with the
drivers behind him. Wittmann’s tally of 47 points is enough to see him
top the overall standings. He produces another impressive display on
Sunday, coming home sixth to claim another top-ten finish. He is
joined in the top ten by another two BMW drivers, in the form of Bruno
Spengler and Timo Glock. However, Wittmann is unable to hang on to the
lead in the Drivers’ Championship. Now with 55 points to his name, he
trails the new leader – Mercedes driver Robert Wickens – by three points.
Position in the Drivers’ Championship after six of 18 races: 2nd
place – 55 points
Norisring (DE), 25th/26th June – Cool and consistent on home soil.
The streets of Nürnberg (DE) are a happy stomping ground this year
for Marco Wittmann at his home race weekend. Fourth place is the best
result of his DTM career on the tight street circuit. Starting from
13th, he fights back strongly to cross the finish line ahead of Bruno
Spengler (CA) as the best-placed BMW driver after 49 laps of racing.
Wittmann adds a sixth place in Saturday’s race, proving once again
that he is among the most consistent scorers in the series. His
reward: the local favourite moves back to the top of the Drivers’
Championship with 75 points to his name. The Sunday at the Norisring
is even more successful for Wittmann’s fellow BMW drivers from BMW
Team RBM: Tom Blomqvist finishes runner-up in the Ice-Watch BMW M4
DTM, having started from pole position for the first time in his DTM
career. He is followed over the line by Maxime Martin (BE) in the
SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM, who fights his way through from sixth on the grid
to finish third.
Position in the Drivers’ Championship after eight of 18 races: 1st
place – 75 points
Zandvoort (NL), 16th/17th July – All change in the chasing pack.
Marco Wittmann has very fond memories of the spectacular dune circuit
in Zandvoort (NL): it was here that he secured his first pole position
in the DTM in 2013. He once again has cause for celebration this
season, as he extends his lead in the Drivers’ Championship on the
Saturday. Wittmann starts from second on the grid, and finishes in the
same position to add a further 18 points to his tally for the year.
However, there is no let-up from the opposition: Mercedes driver
Wickens wins the ninth race of the season to pick up 25 points. This
is enough to make him Wittmann’s closest rival, briefly. A further two
BMW drivers finish in the points: António Félix da Costa (PT) is sixth
in the BMW M4 DTM, while Maxime Martin completed the top ten. Wittmann
comes home fourth in race two in Zandvoort, and sees the new
second-placed man in the Drivers’ Championship on the top of the
podium: Audi driver Jamie Green. However, the BMW Team RMG driver
retains his overall lead, now with 105 points. Green is lurking seven
points back in second place.
Position in the Drivers’ Championship after ten of 18 races: 1st
place – 105 points
Moscow (RU), 20th/21st August – Disappointment and winning joy.
The “Moscow Raceway” throws up a special challenge: on the Saturday,
the eight BMW riders and their rivals are faced with the first wet
race of the season. Torrential rain makes the track so wet that the
first eight laps must be completed behind the safety car for safety
reasons. Wittmann finishes 19th in the Red Bull BMW M4 DTM and
surrenders the lead in the Drivers’ Championship to Wickens, who wins
the race. Martin is the best-placed BMW driver in sixth place in the
SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM. After the water fight on Saturday, everyone starts
from scratch again in dry conditions on the Sunday – and Wittmann
comes up trumps: after impressing on his way to pole position in
qualifying, the German claims his second win of the season in race 12
of the year, regaining the championship lead in the process. It is
Wittmann’s seventh victory in the 50th DTM race of his career. It also
represents the tenth win for BMW Team RMG in its 60th DTM race.
Blomqvist, Spengler and Farfus follow him home in second, third and
fourth to complete the sixth top-four lock-out for BMW in the DTM.
Position in the Drivers’ Championship after 12 of 18 races: 1st place
– 130 points
Nürburgring (DE), 10th/11th September – The Nürburg in view,
sights set on the title.
Whenever Wittmann has won at the Nürburgring (DE), he has gone on to
be crowned the DTM champion: when he won his first title back in 2014,
he also took his place on the top step of the podium in the Eifel
Mountains. This season, he once again represents BMW Team RMG, which
is based in nearby Andernach (DE), with a home win. The celebrations
know no bounds. Starting from pole for the third time this year, he
produces a commanding performance to defends his lead throughout the
Saturday race. Blomqvist does a great job of fending off the chasing
pack and comes home second in the Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM to complete
BMW’s 19th one-two in the DTM. Wittmann ensures BMW has another
milestone to celebrate after Sunday’s race: he finishes third in the
Red Bull BMW M4 DTM to claim the 250th podium result for BMW in the
DTM. Thanks to the most successful race weekend of the year so far,
which yields 40 points, Wittmann goes into the final four races of the
season with 170 points to his name – 33 more than Edoardo Mortara, who
won on Sunday in the “Green Hell”.
Position in the Drivers’ Championship after 14 of 18 races: 1st place
– 170 points
Budapest (HU), 24th/25th September – The lead is diminishing.
Initially everything is going to plan for Wittmann in Budapest (HU)
at the penultimate DTM weekend of the year. First, he picks up points
for finishing seventh in race one, then he crosses the finish line in
fourth place on Sunday, after an action-packed race. However, during
scrutineering after the 16th race of the season, the stewards come to
the conclusion that the underbody of Wittmann’s car did not meet the
specified dimensions. The overall leader is excluded from the results.
This moves António Félix da Costa (PT) up into third place
retrospectively and makes him the best-placed BMW driver on Sunday.
Wittmann’s lead over Mortara, who wins the Saturday race in Hungary,
but fails to pick up any points in the second race, is 14 points
heading into the finale in Hockenheim.
Position in the Drivers’ Championship after 16 of 18 races: 1st place
– 176 points
Hockenheim (DE), 15th/16th September – A tough fight with
happy ending.
The grand DTM finale in Hockenheim turns into a thriller. Alongside
Marco Wittmann, the focus is on the two BMW drivers Martin Tomczyk and
António Félix da Costa, whose DTM careers come to an end this weekend.
Félix da Costa bids a splendid farewell – and claims pole position for
both races. But while the man from Portugal is denied a top result,
Wittmann makes his dreams of winning the title come true. He picks up
an additional 18 points for finishing second on Saturday, so fourth
place on Sunday is enough for him to clinch the glass champion’s
trophy for the second time after 2014. The big party is underway.
Position in the Drivers’ Championship after 18 of 18 races: 1st place
– 206 points
More information.
You can find the latest BMW Motorsport media information, the
DTM Press Kit, and copyright-free images for editorial purposes online
at www.press.bmwgroup.com/global.
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