Lausitzring. Two drivers on the podium, five drivers in the
top-10: BMW recorded a strong result at the Lausitzring in the third
DTM race. Timo Glock (GER) drove the DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM to
second place, followed by Philipp Eng (AUT) in third position in the
SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM. For Eng it was his first-ever DTM podium finish.
Bruno Spengler (CAN, BMW Bank M4 DTM), Marco Wittmann (GER, BMW
Driving Experience M4 DTM) and Augusto Farfus (BRA, Shell BMW M4
DTM) also made it into the points, finishing in fifth, seventh and
tenth positions. Joel Eriksson (SWE, BMW M4 DTM) crossed the
finishing line in 12th place.
A collision just after the start of the race brought
out the safety car, then René Rast (GER) rolled spectacularly shortly
after the IndyCar-style restart. Luckily, the reigning DTM champion
was able to walk away from the accident. Victory went to Mercedes
driver Edoardo Mortara (ITA).
Reactions to Saturday’s race at the Lausitzring:
Rudolf Dittrich (General Manager BMW Motorsport Vehicle
Development):
“Firstly, congratulations and thanks are
in order to the DTM technical workgroup. Today, we should focus on the
fact that all the drivers were able to get out of their cars unhurt
after all these accidents. Congratulations to Mercedes and Edoardo
Mortara on the win. Timo Glock and Philipp Eng produced some thrilling
racing behind him. That was great to watch for the spectators. Timo
was able to extend his lead in the drivers’ standings, and Philipp put
in a very strong performance in his third DTM race. Overall, that was
a very good result for BMW, with five cars in the points.”
Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal, BMW Team
RMG):
“It is always nice to be rewarded for all the hard
work the team has put in. We were determined to put on a stronger
performance here at the Lausitzring than in past years. We reached
that target. Timo is on the podium, Marco recorded a positive result.
We still have a bit of work to do with Augusto’s car. We will be back
on the attack tomorrow. The whole team is really motivated.”
Marco Wittmann (#11 BMW Driving Experience M4 DTM, BMW Team
RMG – qualifying result: 6th place, race result:
7th place, points: 8):
“It was a very
chaotic race. I really hope that all the drivers involved in the
accidents are doing okay. It looked really serious when René Rast
flipped over. By the finish, it was all about stopping on the right
lap as the field was so tightly-packed. Edoardo Mortara showed that
perfect timing allowed you to make a big leap forward here.”
Augusto Farfus (#15 Shell BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMG –
qualifying result: 16th place, race result:
10th place, points: 2):
“It was all about
making it to the end of this race. We have yet to find the grip we
need here. That made it difficult to find the right balance of the car
during the race. But we did manage to score a point and the car is in
good shape. We will be back on the attack tomorrow.”
Timo Glock (#16 DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR –
qualifying result: 5th place, race result: 2nd
place, points: 62):
“Above all, we have to be happy
that all the drivers involved in accidents today are doing okay. All
those incidents made it into a very short sprint race but our strategy
paid off in the end. The tyres took a bit too long to come in. I think
we could even have been a bit more aggressive in terms of strategy.
But of course I am really happy to have reached the podium and I am
also delighted for Philipp, who drove a great race. He has been doing
great all weekend and was really fast. Getting two cars to the podium
is a great result for BMW.”
Bart Mampaey (Team Principal, BMW Team
RBM):
“Today, we saw how safe the DTM cars are. There
were some serious accidents but the drivers are okay. It was a
thrilling race for us too and we got two cars into the top 10. Philipp
Eng reached the podium for the first time. At the end, Edoardo Mortara
and Timo Glock were able to pass him with DRS. Bruno crossed the line
in fifth place, and that’s fine too. We will work hard with Joel to
make him more competitive for tomorrow.”
Philipp Eng (#25 SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR – qualifying
result: 2nd place, race result: 3rd place,
points: 17):
“I am extremely happy with this third
place in just my third DTM race. It could hardly have gone better. I
had no DRS at the end, but Edoardo Mortara was very clever. Then Timo
was able to pass me too. That doesn’t dampen my spirits though. We put
on a real team performance today. A big thank you to our engineers –
we’ve done great work since Hockenheim.”
Bruno Spengler (#7 BMW Bank M4 DTM, BMW Team RBM – qualifying
result: 3rd place, race result: 5th place,
points: 23):
“Personally, I’m not totally happy. I was
running in second place for long stretches of the race, but ultimately
I had to be content with finishing fifth. I don’t think it was ideal
that we stopped so early. But on the positive side, we did score some
points again. Overall, it is a very positive day for BMW. I would have
loved to have reached the podium, but now we will start working on the
strategy for tomorrow.”
Joel Eriksson (#47 BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RBM – qualifying
result: 11th place, race result: 12th place,
points: 13):
“That was a really tough race for me.
Things didn’t go so well in qualifying. A lot of things then happened
in the race and the IndyCar restart was not ideal for me. I didn’t
progress, but moved back through the field. I was in the wrong place
at the wrong time on a few occasions. I have to forget this race and
work hard to prepare for tomorrow.”