Reactions to the ninth race weekend of the 2016 DTM season.

Hockenheim (DE), 16th October 2016. Marco Wittmann (DE) finished
fourth at the season finale of the DTM, thereby clinching the second
Drivers’ Championship of his career. The weekend in Hockenheim was the
final one in the DTM careers of Martin Tomczyk (DE) and António Félix
da Costa (PT). Tomczyk picked up a point for finishing tenth on
Sunday, Félix da Costa was outstanding in both races with pole
position and finished fourth in Saturday’s race.

Here you can read what BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt, the
four team principals and the eight BMW DTM drivers had to say after
the final race weekend of the season.

Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director): “That was
absolutely mega, Marco! Today’s race was an excellent reflection of
the entire season. Marco was flawless and got the very best out of the
Red Bull BMW M4 DTM. With the packages so evenly matched this DTM
season, it was Marco that made the crucial difference. His top speed,
nerves of steel and consistency are what have made Marco a worthy
champion in 2016. In the current DTM, he is the benchmark for all the
other drivers in the field. He can be very proud of his performance.
We certainly are. Marco is the first BMW driver in the history of the
DTM to win the Drivers’ Championship twice – and in only his fourth
year in this high-class series. No other DTM driver has ever won two
titles in such a short time. With this success, Marco is already
assured of a place in the history books of the DTM and BMW Motorsport.
He is an extraordinary racing driver and we are delighted that he is
part of the BMW family. Congratulations also to the other BMW drivers
who finished in the points. This applies to Martin Tomczyk in
particular, who finished in the points one last time in his final DTM
race. It’s unfortunate that an unnecessary collision denied António
Félix da Costa the chance of an outstanding result at his DTM farewell
race after his fantastic performance. His two pole positions at the
season finale were impressive. We can now proudly say that we have won
at least one title every year since returning to the DTM in 2012. What
a fantastic record! There is certainly some celebrating to be done
tonight. Everyone in the team has deserved that after this season.
Everyone made a contribution to this success. I would like to thank
everyone involved for their efforts. I’d also like to congratulate
Audi on winning the team and manufacturers’ championships.”

Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal, BMW Team RMG): “I’m
speechless. Huge thanks go to everyone who contributed to this
success. Marco is a mega champion – and my team is simply sensational.
And, of course, thanks to BMW Motorsport for the fantastic support.
The season was extremely demanding, but everyone here really did their
bit. It was another real masterpiece after 2014.”

Bart Mampaey (Team Principal, BMW Team RBM): “First
off, congratulations to BMW and Marco Wittmann. He delivered another
fantastic performance today. I feel that as a team we played a good
role this season. The finale is a good example of this: We made it
into the top five with both cars in qualifying. That has been a
regular occurrence this year. Third place in the team standings is
very positive for us. I’m very happy.”

Charly Lamm (Team Principal, BMW Team Schnitzer): “It
was a very emotional race for us, since both of our drivers ended
their DTM careers today. António Félix da Costa thrilled us with his
two pole positions. It’s a shame that, through no fault of his own, he
was unable to convert this starting position into a top result. I
would have liked that. Martin Tomczyk once again demonstrated what
distinguishes him: fighting spirit. And he was rewarded with a point.
I’m certain that he really enjoyed the final laps. But the second
championship title for Marco Wittmann outshines everything.
Congratulations to Marco, BMW Team RMG and BMW Motorsport.”  

Ernest Knoors (Team Principal, BMW Team MTEK):
“Congratulations to Marco Wittmann on winning the title. Overall, it
was a good season for BMW, but as a team we aren’t happy. We had hoped
for more from 2016. The guys had the best pit stops, but somehow
everything came together far too infrequently.”

Marco Wittmann (BMW Team RMG, Sun.: 4th place, Sat.: 2nd
place):
“What a feeling! Being crowned DTM Champion for the
second time in four years is incredible. It was a difficult season,
but now the emotions are indescribable. We fought right down to the
wire and had no idea that we would finish at the top before the season
started. We’ve done it now. Crazy. Massive thanks go to my team, BMW
Motorsport and everyone involved. And I have huge respect for Edoardo
Mortara. He had a great season. In the end we did enough. Now it’s
time to celebrate.”

Timo Glock (BMW Team RMG, Sun.: 5th place, Sat.: 7th place):
“Today our task was purely to help Marco win the drivers’
title. We managed that perfectly. I had a great pace towards the end
of the race and was happy to play the role of Marco’s wingman.
Congratulations to my team and BMW Motorsport. Everyone earned this
success. It’s the perfect end to the season.”

Maxime Martin (BMW Team RBM, Sun.: 6th place, Sat.: 13th
place):
“Looking at the positives, I was consistent
throughout the course of the season. It was always very close and I
was always among the best BMW drivers. Marco Wittmann did an
outstanding job and thoroughly deserved this title. Now we will
prepare for 2017 – and come back strong.”

Tom Blomqvist (BMW Team RBM, Sun.: 7th place, Sat.: 9th
place):
“That was another good weekend overall to finish
with. Congratulations to Marco Wittmann on winning the title, and I’m
also happy that we were able to pick up points again. The key was our
performance in qualifying. This meant we were at least able to do
battle in the race, even though the car may not have been outstanding.
Sixth place in the overall standings is a good result for me. I was
still a rookie in 2015. Now I’m hoping that I can take another step
forward next year.”

Martin Tomczyk (BMW Team Schnitzer, Sun.: 10th place, Sat.:
20th place):
“That was another great race here at the end
of my DTM career. The fact that I was rewarded with a point makes up
for the disappointing season that is behind me. Before getting out of
the car I spent a few moments looking back. Now I’m relieved.
Naturally it’s fantastic that Marco Wittmann won the title. Now I can
say goodbye with a clear conscience and focus on my new tasks.”

Bruno Spengler (BMW Team MTEK, Sun.: 12th place, Sat.: 14th
place):
“Congratulations to everyone in Munich who worked
hard to win this title. To Marco Wittmann and BMW Team RMG in
particular, who delivered extremely consistent performances throughout
the year. Unfortunately, my own season was extremely disappointing. So
there isn’t really much to say.”

Augusto Farfus (BMW Team MTEK, Sun.: DNF, Sat.: 11th place):
“That was far from my best race. The first set of tyres was
terrible. I was very slow and had to battle. Then in the end they wore
down. Later on there was a problem in the cockpit. It was unfortunate
and frustrating. I had to come in for a long stop and then give up
later on. My entire season was characterised by bad luck. It was a
very difficult year for us. That happens sometimes. You give 100
percent in every race, but it’s not meant to be. Naturally I am
delighted for Marco that he won the title. Congratulations to him, he
drove fantastically and more than earned the title. It’s also great
for BMW Motorsport, and we will celebrate it in style.”

António Félix da Costa (BMW Team Schnitzer, Sun.: DNF, Sat.:
4th place):
“Naturally starting my final DTM race from pole
position was a dream. But then there was the incident with Gary
Paffett. He was impatient. It’s a real shame. Finishing on the podium
would have been a great finish for me. Congratulations to Marco
Wittmann – he’s the champion. It was a difficult year for us, but we
can definitely be happy with the way it ended.”

 

DTM standings.

Drivers’ Championship.

  1. Marco Wittmann (206 points), 2. Edoardo Mortara (202), 3. Jamie
    Green (145), 4. Robert Wickens (124), 5. Paul di Resta (116), 6. Tom
    Blomqvist (113), 7. Mattias Ekström (107), 8. Maxime Martin (90), 9.
    Nico Müller (88), 10. Timo Glock (84), 11. Gary Paffett (73), 12.
    Lucas Auer (68), 13. Miguel Molina (66), 14. Christian Vietoris
    (60), 15. Bruno Spengler (51), 16. Augusto Farfus (44), 17. António
    Félix da Costa (43), 18. Adrien Tambay (40), 19. Mike Rockenfeller
    (31), 20. Maximilian Götz (17), 21. Martin Tomczyk (16), 22. Timo
    Scheider (13), 23. René Rast (8), 24. Daniel Juncadella (6), 25.
    Felix Rosenqvist (5), 25. Esteban Ocon (2).

Team Championship.

  1. Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline (319 points), 2. BMW Team RMG
    (290), 3. BMW Team RBM (203), 4. Audi Sport Team Rosberg (185), 5.
    Audi Sport Team Abt (154), 6. Mercedes-AMG (133), 7. SILBERPFEIL
    Energy/UBFS invest Mercedes-AMG (130), 8. BWT Mercedes-AMG (128), 9.
    BMW Team MTEK (95), 10. EURONICS/FREEMEN`S WORLDMercedes-AMG (80),
    11. BMW Team Schnitzer (59), 12. Audi Sport Team Phoenix (42).

Manufacturers’ Championship.

  1. Audi (700 points), 2. BMW (647), 3. Mercedes-Benz (471).

 

Statistics for the BMW DTM drivers.

 

 

 

DTM Race Calendar 2016.

6.-8. May – Hockenheim (DE), 20.-22. May – Spielberg (AT), 3.-5. June
– Lausitzring (DE), 24.-26. June – Norisring (DE), 15.-17. July –
Zandvoort (NL), 19.-21. August – Moscow (RU), 9.-11. September –
Nürburgring (DE), 23.-25. September – Budapest (HU), 14.-16.
October – Hockenheim (DE).

 

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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