Reactions to the third race of the 2016 DTM season.

Spielberg (AT), 21st May 2016. Marco Wittmann (DE) and Tom Blomqvist (GB) celebrated a one-two result for BMW in Spielberg (AT) in the third race of the DTM season. In addition to the two drivers, a further four BMW drivers finished in the points. Timo Glock (DE), Martin Tomczyk (DE), Maxime Martin (BE) and Augusto Farfus (BR) finished fourth, fifth, sixth and ninth.

Read here what BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt, BMW Team RMG team principal Stefan Reinhold and the eight BMW DTM drivers had to say after the race.

Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director): “Thank you very much for this fantastic belated birthday present. It was an outstanding team performance by BMW, I am proud of the guys. After we put in a very good performance in qualifying, we were also able to achieve a superb result in the race. I am very proud of Marco and Tom, who brought the one-two result home, despite Edoardo Mortara keeping up the pressure right down to the final lap. And our guys behind them also drove a fantastic race. That was by no means as easy as it might have looked.”

Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal BMW Team RMG): “After our difficult opening weekend, we worked hard to deliver a better performance here. Naturally we wanted to show that we belong at the top. The whole team did a super job. Everything went well today - with both drivers. Marco was once again 'mega' at the top. Now we will go on the attack for the second time here in Spielberg tomorrow.”

Marco Wittmann (BMW Team RMG, 1st place): “The Red Bull Ring seems to suit me very well. It really does treat me well. With the pole position and the good start, I laid the foundation for the win. Nevertheless, it was not easy to maintain the lead since my rivals were able to use the DRS. I'm very happy that it was enough to get the win – particularly for the team. They earned this success.”

Tom Blomqvist (BMW Team RBM, 2nd place): “It is fantastic to be on the podium so early in the season. Our car has been incredibly fast so far this weekend. We ended up getting the result we deserved, and overall things went well for BMW too. I am happy - and naturally I will go on the attack again tomorrow.”

Timo Glock (BMW Team RMG, 4th place): “The race was okay. I had a good start, but after a few laps I noticed that the balance wasn't perfect. I damaged the front splitter slightly during qualifying. I suspect that was the reason. This meant that I wasn't quite able to keep up with the pace at the front. Nevertheless, we are satisfied. Congratulations to Marco, BMW Team RMG and BMW. That is a fantastic result.”

Martin Tomczyk (BMW Team Schnitzer, 5th place): “I am very happy. Going into the race, I said fifth place was a realistic goal. Which is what we achieved. My start was the deciding factor, and the first lap was also good. Then I just drove my race behind Timo. Thanks go to my team, since we worked long and hard to get such a good car.”

Maxime Martin (BMW Team RBM, 6th place): “It was a good race. It was very close at the start and my car was slightly damaged. Despite that, things went really well afterwards. It is always a great feeling to pick up points.”

Augusto Farfus (BMW Team MTEK, 9th place): “I am happy that I got the car to the finish line intact today. We couldn't have done any better than ninth place. The important thing is that we picked up points. Now we need to go forward step by step.”

Bruno Spengler (BMW Team MTEK, 13th place): “Firstly, I'd like to congratulate Marco and Tom on the one-two result. That is a sensational result for BMW. Our problem today was definitely the qualifying pace. We just didn't have the right pace. And then when you start so far down the field, it is difficult in the DTM. Now our focus is on improving the car for qualifying tomorrow.”

António Félix da Costa (BMW Team Schnitzer, 22nd place): “The weekend started with seventh place in qualifying. Then my penalty meant that I started the race from tenth. Everything looked to be going well until I was awarded another penalty. I don't really agree with it right now. From my perspective, the driver in front of me made a mistake going into the yellow flag area and I drove past him on my line. But it is what it is. My race was over after the drive-through penalty.”

DTM standings.

Drivers’ Championship.

1. Paul di Resta (43 points), 2. Edoardo Mortara (40), 3. Marco Wittmann (29), 4. Robert Wickens (28), 5. Maxime Martin (27), 6. Tom Blomqvist (26), 7. Nico Müller (22), 8. Augusto Farfus (20), 9. Gary Paffett (12), 10. Timo Glock (12), 11. Martin Tomczyk (12), 12. Christian Vietoris (10), 13. Bruno Spengler (8), 14. António Félix da Costa (6), 15. Adrien Tambay (4), 16. Mattias Ekström (2), 17. Mike Rockenfeller (1), 18. Miguel Molina (1), 19. Maximilian Götz (0), 20. Jamie Green (0), 21. Lucas Auer (0), 22. Daniel Juncadella (0), 23. Timo Scheider (0), 24. Esteban Ocon (0).      

Team Championship.

1. BMW Team RBM (53 points), 2. Mercedes-AMG (43), 3. Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline (42), 4. BMW Team RMG (41), 5. SILBERPFEIL Energy/UBFS invest Mercedes-AMG (28), 6. BMW Team MTEK (28), 7. Audi Sport Team Abt (23), 8. BMW Team Schnitzer (18), 9. EURONICS/FREEMEN`S WORLDMercedes-AMG (12), 10. BWT Mercedes-AMG (10), 11. Audi Sport Team Rosberg (4), 12. Audi Sport Team Phoenix (1).   

Manufacturers’ Championship.

1. BMW (140 points), 2. Mercedes-Benz (93), 3. Audi (70).

Statistics for the BMW DTM drivers.

2016 race calendar.

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

BMW Motorsport on the web.

Website: www.bmw-motorsport.com
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About the DTM.
The DTM is the most popular touring car series in the world. The series pits the three premium automobile manufacturers BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz against each other in a sporting contest. BMW fielded its first works teams from 1984 to 1992, during which time it claimed 49 race victories and won the Drivers’ Championship on three occasions (1984, 1987 and 1989). The manufacturer returned to the DTM in 2012, since when it has won seven of a possible twelve titles. 18 races, spread over nine weekends, are scheduled for 2016. ARD broadcasts all the races live. Tickets for all the DTM races are available here: https://tickets.bmw-motorsport.com/index.html