In front of 65,000 fans at the Lausitzring, the DTM and its exclusive tyre partner Hankook made it a perfect race weekend.
After the thrilling qualifying on Saturday, the spectators got to see a turbulent race on Sunday, which was significantly marked by tyre tactics. Four of the five fastest drivers started the race with Hankooks new option tyre that allows for faster times for a few laps before the intended drop-off sets in. Other drivers started with the base-line slick tyre and later changed to the Ventus Race Plus to make up for ground lost again. The DTM fans got to see breath-taking duels and spectacular overtaking manoeuvres. Throughout the race, the drivers were supported with the usual high grip level and maximum consistency by the Hankook prime and option tyres.
Mercedes-Benz is back on the road to success. After a dominant performance, Gary Paffett not only scored his first race win of this DTM season at the Lausitzring, but also the first success of the car manufacturer from Stuttgart. Having started from second place, the Brit immediately took the lead after the start and controlled the field from first place throughout the race. After a great recovery, Mike Rockenfeller finished second and benefited from the clever tyre strategy of his team. Having started with Hankooks Ventus Race base-line slick tyre, the Audi driver soon changed to the Ventus Race Plus option tyre, with which he moved up into second place.
In third place, Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz) already scored his second podium result of this season. The fastest driver from qualifying was still fourth just before the end, but with three laps remaining, he managed to overtake Robert Wickens (Mercedes-Benz), who was in front of him. Bruno Spengler, leader in the points standings prior to the race, didnt have his best day and finished seventh as the best-placed BMW driver. Thus, the Canadian lost his leading position in the drivers standings to Mike Rockenfeller, who has the same number of points, but better overall results. Mattias Ekstrm (Audi) drove a particularly strong race. After a long stint with the Ventus Race Plus, the Swede worked his way up through the ranks from 18th on the grid to finish eighth and almost had overtaken Bruno Spengler, who was in front of him, on the finish straight as well.Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz): With the option tyres, I managed to pull a gap after the start, but I put a huge load on the tyres and had to change to the base-line slick tyres. With these, I managed to keep Mike Rockenfeller at bay, who was racing with the option tyres. The great performance of the car with the base-line slick tyres in qualifying was the key to success.
Mike Rockenfeller (Audi): After the start, we lost a little bit of time with the base-line slick tyre, but after that, the option tyre worked very well. I would have loved to do a few more laps with them, but after a long stint, we changed back to the base-line slick tyre again for safety reasons. From sixth place on the grid to second at the finish, we got the maximum out of it.
