Hungaroring.
Timo Glock (GER) and Bruno Spengler (CAN) finished second and
third in Saturday’s turbulent race at the Hungaroring (HUN) after a
strong catch-up race, which saw them claim the third and fourth
podiums of the season for BMW Motorsport. Both drivers benefitted
from a daring strategy with early pit stops, which paid off after a
safety car phase.
Marco Wittmann (GER) in ninth also finished in the points. A
collision forced Maxime Martin (BEL) and Tom Blomqvist (GBR) to
retire.
Augusto Farfus (BRA) was in fifth place when he was hit by a
rival and the resulting spin saw him drop right down the field.
Qualifying:
Augusto Farfus in the Shell BMW M4
DTM achieved his best qualifying result of the season and started the
race as the best-placed BMW driver in sixth on the grid. His personal
fastest lap time was 1:32.275 minutes. Tom Blomqvist in the BMW
Driving Experience M4 DTM in tenth place also made it into the top
ten. Maxime Martin (SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM), Timo Glock (DEUTSCHE POST BMW
M4 DTM), Marco Wittmann (Red Bull BMW M4 DTM) and Bruno Spengler (BMW
Bank M4 DTM) followed in positions 12, 14, 15 and 17.
The race:
Augusto Farfus got off to a good start from sixth on the grid and
moved up a place. In turn two, Maxime Martin collided with Tom
Blomqvist. Blomqvist span and dropped down the field. Martin’s race
came to an end a few laps later. His SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM suffered
damage in the collision at the start. Martin’s retirement brought
about a safety car phase. Spengler and Glock decided to pit early and
this daring strategy saw them gradually move up from the back of the
field after the restart to finish on the podium. In contrast, Farfus
was extremely unlucky when he was hit by a rival and span when the
race was restarted on lap 11. This saw him drop right down the field.
On lap 27, Blomqvist was forced to return his car that was damaged in
the collision at the start to the pit and end his race early. On the
final laps, Spengler emerged victorious in the hard but fair duel with
Mike Rockenfeller (GER, Audi) for the podium. Marco Wittmann in ninth
also finished in the points. The win went to Paul di Resta (GBR, Mercedes).
The reactions:
BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt: “Two podiums
in these circumstances is an incredible result. We decided on an early
pit stop strategy for Timo Glock and Bruno Spengler. Initially it
looked like it would be an incredibly difficult race for us after the
incident with Maxime Martin and Tom Blomqvist. But then we were lucky
with the safety car phase, which ultimately saw Timo and Bruno’s
daring strategy pay off. Congratulations to both drivers and the teams
on a fantastic performance. We’re happy with these points, even though
we know that we have work to do tomorrow in terms of our performance
in qualifying and consistency in the race. I feel incredibly sorry for
Augusto Farfus, who was doing well in the race, but was hit hard and
turned round by a rival. Congratulations to Mercedes and Paul di Resta
on the win.”
Stefan Reinhold (team principal, BMW Team RMG): “The
strategist was in the car today. Timo was unable to pass Di Resta, so
he made the right decision to pit. It showed just how much experience
he has. The stop went well and the safety car that followed saved our
race. Maybe we could have brought Marco in even earlier, but that’s
motorsport for you, it isn’t a lottery.”
Marco Wittmann (#11, Red Bull BMW M4 DTM – Grid position:
15th, race result: 9th place – 61 races, 8
wins, 16 podiums, 8 pole positions, 543 points, 2 Drivers’ titles):
“Overall the race went well. I made up six places and picked
up two points. On the other hand, with a little more luck, we might
have been able to get a little more out of it, as we saw with Timo and
Bruno. I stayed out a little too long and then the safety car was
brought out, but all in all I am happy with the two points.”
Augusto Farfus (#15, Shell BMW M4 DTM – Grid position:
6th, race result: 12th place – 71 races, 4
wins, 12 podiums, 5 pole positions, 345 points): “The
weekend got off to a great start. Then came the safety car and I was
spun round on the restart. Overall, we had a good pace in the race and
the car performed well. It could have been a good race, which makes us
hopeful for tomorrow. I just need to look ahead now.”
Timo Glock (#16, DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM – Grid position:
14th, race result: 2nd place – 61 races, 3
wins, 7 podiums, 2 pole positions, 256 points): “We didn’t
expect to move up from 14th on the grid into second place
today. No doubt it would have been difficult in normal circumstances.
I wasn’t able to pass Marco at the start. I knew I was able to keep up
with the pace, which is why I decided to stop. I didn’t have anything
to lose. I was fortunate that the safety car came out two laps later
and then, when it became clear that only Paul, Bruno and I had
stopped, it seemed likely that I could be in with the chance of a
podium. I am really happy with second place, but we are well aware
that we need to improve in terms of speed in the second race.”
Bart Mampaey (team principal, BMW Team RBM):
“Regarding Bruno, I think that the car had more potential in
qualifying than we showed. Our strategy in the race was just right.
Bruno did a fantastic job and defended extremely well against
Rockenfeller. I am delighted for the entire team. There were incidents
with the other two cars, which we will look at again in more detail
later so that we can fight back tomorrow. We were able to pick up
valuable points today with the one car. We want to improve on that tomorrow.”
Bruno Spengler (#7, BMW Bank BMW M4 DTM – Grid position:
17th, race result: 3rd place – 144 races, 14
wins, 46 podiums, 17 pole positions, 775 points, 1 Drivers’ title):
“That was a tough race, in which we were also a bit lucky.
But we had a great strategy. It was a fantastic performance from my
team, taking the risk of stopping a second time in the safety car
phase. But it was necessary since I had stopped on the very first lap
and it would have been very difficult to finish the race without
stopping. A big thank you to the team for their courage and the good
pit stops. It was very difficult to defend against Mike Rockenfeller
at the end. He put me under a lot of pressure, but I gave it my all to
bring home the podium for the entire team.”
Tom Blomqvist (#31, BMW Driving Experience M4 DTM – Grid
position: 10th, race result: retired – 41 races, 1 win, 5
podiums, 1 pole position, 174 points): “I was hit
immediately after the start and dropped right down the field, that was
the end of my race. I’m very disappointed that it happened to me yet
again. I have been turned three times in the five races of the season
so far. I returned to the pit since there was no point in me carrying
on with the race. The car was badly damaged and didn’t have any
handling left.”
Maxime Martin (#36, SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM – Grid position:
12th, race result: retired – 51 races, 2 wins, 6 podiums,
2 pole positions, 248 points): “I made contact with Tom in
turn two, which was my fault. The front of the car was damaged as a
result. It was probably this damage that led to my brakes blocking
later on. After that, I was unable to keep going. It’s a real shame,
but it was my error.”
The standings:
Drivers: 1. Lucas Auer (69 points), 2. Jamie Green
(61), 3. Mike Rockenfeller (53), 4. Gary Paffett (50), 5. Timo
Glock (43), 6. Mattias Ekström (43), 7. René Rast (42), 8.
Robert Wickens (38), 9. Paul di Resta (37), 10. Marco Wittmann
(20), 11. Edoardo Mortara (20), 12. Nico Müller (20),
13. Bruno Spengler (17), 14. Maxime Martin (17),
15. Maro Engel (3), 16. Tom Blomqvist (2), 17. Augusto Farfus
(0), 18. Loic Duval (0).
Teams: 1. Audi Sport Team Rosberg (103 points), 2.
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport BWT (89), 3. Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes
me (88), 4. Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline (63), 5. Audi Sport Team
Phoenix (53), 6. BMW Team RMR (45), 7. Mercedes-AMG
Motorsport SILBERPFEIL Energy (40), 8. BMW Team RBM (34), 9.
BMW Team RMG (20).
Manufacturers: 1. Audi (219 points), 2. Mercedes
(217), 3. BMW (99).
The service:
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