The Dutchman lives in Lanaken, only about 30 minutes away from Zolder, and had high ambitions for the first DTM races at Zolder since 2002. With grid positions five on Saturday and four on Sunday, he seemed to live up to his own expectations. But both races ended in disappointment for Frijns.
On Saturday, a safety car period deprived those drivers of all chances who had not made their mandatory pit stops yet at that time. They included Frijns, who was also handed a time penalty because his Audi RS 5 DTM had slightly moved before the start. The Audi driver posted the fastest race lap but did not get beyond twelfth place.
On Sunday, Frijns was battling for a podium finish. “I had a good start, was initially in third position behind René Rast and had a tough but good fight with Philipp Eng. After the pit stop, I defended myself against Marco Wittmann. When I had a small problem on the car, he hit me in the rear and pushed me into a spin. That’s racing. We were fast this weekend, but without fortune.”