PressClub Middle East · Article.
Reactions to the eighth race weekend of the 2016 DTM season.
Sun Sep 25 19:16:00 CEST 2016 Press Release
Aged
In front of 39,500 spectators at the Hungaroring (HU), Marco Wittmann (DE) claimed 18 hard-fought points by finishing in seventh place on Saturday and in fourth place on Sunday. He now has a lead of 26 points to take to the DTM season finale in Hockenheim (DE) on 15th and 16th October.
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Osama El-Sherif
BMW Group
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Author.
Osama El-Sherif
BMW Group
Wittmann was the only BMW driver to finish in the top ten on
Saturday, but four of his brand team-mates also scored points on
Sunday. Two days after announcing his departure from the DTM at the
end of the season, António Félix da Costa (PT) finished in fifth
position. Tom Blomqvist (GB) claimed sixth place ahead of Timo Glock
(DE). Maxime Martin (BE) scored two points with a ninth-place finish.
Here you can read what BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt,
the four team principals and the eight BMW DTM drivers had to say
after the eighth race weekend.*
Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director): “We had
to work hard for that today. After a start like that, we should be
pleased with five BMW drivers in the top ten. It could easily have
gone wrong today. Marco dealt very well with that situation at the
start and then made it home in fourth. I am very proud of him and
his performance. Marco's car was damaged a little bit, which meant
he couldn't maintain the same speed as the leaders. Overall, our
performance today wasn't bad. Today, we made up a bit for
yesterday and we can look back at Budapest with a bit more
satisfaction. Marco has moved in the right direction again in the
drivers’ standings. We have to continue this trend in Hockenheim
and approach the two final races with total concentration. The
situation is still really tight in the DTM.”
Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal, BMW Team
RMG): “That was a very emotional weekend for us. The
second race was pretty nerve-racking. We never gave up and never
stopped fighting, regardless of how strong the competition was. My
team always gave 100 percent and produced some great pit stops. We
were rewarded for that. Timo did a great job and collected some
valuable points for the manufacturers’ championship by finishing
seventh. Marco is currently the best driver in the field. It’s
Hockenheim up next. It’s going to be a dramatic finale.”
Charly Lamm (Team Principal, BMW Team
Schnitzer): “Sunday was a bright spot and means that the
weekend was positive overall for us. António was relegated a few
places on the grid on Saturday, which meant he really couldn’t do
much in the race. Qualifying was good today and the race strategy
was perfect too. Thanks are due to our engineers as well. We
collected some valuable points. Martin was going well too. He was
in touching distance of the points, but he lost some time in the
pack. He battled hard and did enough to deserve a point.”
Bert Mampaey (Team Principal, BMW Team
RBM): “Yesterday was difficult for us due to the weight
situation and we could not really compete with Audi. Things went a
bit better today. We got both cars to good positions in qualifying
- and we were then able to defend these places in the race. We are
satisfied with the overall result today.”
Ernst Knoors (Team Principal, BMW Team MTEK): “We
had a difficult weekend. That was the case for BMW in general, and
specifically for our team as well. We found some good tactics for
Augusto in the second race. He started really well, but then his
car got damaged by something that broke the radiator. His race was
over. We achieved all we could with Bruno. Unfortunately, it
wasn’t enough to finish in the points. We will start again in Hockenheim.”
Marco Wittmann (BMW Team RMG, Sun.: 4th place, Sat.: 7th
place): “I had a very good start, whereas Edo didn’t. His
wheels were spinning. I had all the momentum. I went over to his
side of the track. I think he wanted to block Eki first and he
pushed me over onto the grass - although I was already alongside
him. There was contact, and I had to drive across the grass. There
was contact again when I came back. In my opinion, it was caused
by Edo’s mistake at the start. And obviously I won't just back
down. The 12 points are important to help us progress. We couldn't
have improved on finishing in seventh and fourth this weekend. The
competition from Audi was extremely strong. So these points are
even more important.”
António Félix da Costa (BMW Team Schnitzer, Sun.: 5th
place, Sat.: 16th place): “Our strategy worked well
today. We were determined to improve on yesterday’s performance
and have a better Sunday. And that is just what we did. Our
qualifying was average, but our tactics for the race were really
good. Thanks to BMW Team Schnitzer. We reacted well to Saturday
today and achieved a really good result overall with five BMWs in
the top ten.”
Tom Blomqvist (BMW Team RBM, Sun.: 6th place, Sat.: 22nd
place): “The race result was okay - but it was anything
but easy. After the confusion at the start, I just wanted to stay
out of trouble. I managed to do that. Making an early pit stop was
also the right decision. Overall, we can be pleased with the
result. It was a good afternoon for BMW.”
Timo Glock (BMW Team RMG, Sun.: 7th place, Sat.: 13th
place): “My start, the first lap, and my race speed were
all very good. I was pretty fast on fresh tyres after the pit stop
and I was able to close up on my BMW team-mates. I am really happy
with the race and the result. It is fantastic to finish in the
points after starting from 15th. Marco is now ideally placed for
the finale in Hockenheim.”
Maxime Martin (BMW Team RBM, Sun.: 9th place, Sat.: 12th
place): “Starting from sixth place and finishing in P9 is
a bit disappointing. However, it was a good race overall for BMW.
Compared to yesterday, we made major improvements. We now have to
prepare as well as we can for Hockenheim and be stronger there.”
Martin Tomczyk (BMW Team Schnitzer, Sun.: 11th place,
Sat.: 23rd place): “Another hard day, another tough
battle - but 11th place and no points once again. Nonetheless, it
was a good race. The performance of the BMW improved markedly
compared to yesterday. Marco was really lucky at the start and, by
the end, we had taken important steps towards to the title. That
was our goal.”
Bruno Spengler (BMW Team MTEK, Sun.: 14th place, Sat.:
14th place): “Our problem was qualifying, on Saturday
and on Sunday. We didn’t manage to fix the problem and get a fast
car in qualifying. So we didn’t have a chance in the race. Marco
holding on to fourth place really helps the battle for the title.
We now have to get a good result in Hockenheim to get the decisive
points for the manufacturers’ championship.”
Augusto Farfus (BMW Team MTEK, Sun.: retired, Sat.: 19th
place): “I had a normal start but then I saw some debris
flying around. Something hit the radiator and then we sprang a
leak. We just didn’t have the luck, once again. It always seems to
go the same way: We start well on Fridays, but we don’t always
manage to make the right changes for Saturday. On Sunday, we are
going in the right direction again. The race set-up today was good
again, but the right performance comes just a bit too late. Now we
are off to Hockenheim. Things went well for me there at the start
of the year. I hope that I can round the season off with a
successful performance.”
DTM standings.
Drivers’ Championship.
1. Marco Wittmann (188 points), 2. Edoardo Mortara (162), 3.
Jamie Green (137), 4. Robert Wickens (121), 5. Mattias Ekström
(107), 6. Tom Blomqvist (101), 7. Paul di Resta (100), 8. Nico
Müller (88), 9. Maxime Martin (78), 10. Gary Paffett (73), 11.
Lucas Auer (68), 12. Timo Glock (64), 13. Bruno Spengler (51), 14.
Augusto Farfus (44), 15. Christian Vietoris (42), 16. Miguel
Molina (41), 17. Adrien Tambay (40), 18. António Félix da Costa
(26), 19. Daniel Juncadella (21), 20. Mike Rockenfeller (18), 21.
Maximilian Götz (17), 22. Martin Tomczyk (13), 23. Timo Scheider
(9), 24. Felix Rosenqvist (5), 25. Esteban Ocon (2).
Team Championship.
1. Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline (269 points), 2. BMW Team
RMG (252), 3. BMW Team RBM (179), 4. Audi Sport Team Rosberg
(177), 5. SILBERPFEIL Energy/UBFS invest Mercedes-AMG (142), 6.
Audi Sport Team Abt (129), 7. Mercedes-AMG (117), 8. BWT
Mercedes-AMG (110), 9. BMW Team MTEK (95), 10. EURONICS/FREEMEN`S
WORLDMercedes-AMG (80), 11. BMW Team Schnitzer (39), 12. Audi
Sport Team Phoenix (27).
Manufacturers’ Championship.
1. Audi (602 points), 2. BMW (565), 3. Mercedes-Benz (449).
Statistics for the BMW DTM drivers.
Driver |
WIT |
GLO |
SPE |
FAR |
BLO |
MAR |
DAC |
TOM |
Country |
DE |
DE |
CA |
BR |
GB |
BE |
PT |
DE |
Number |
11 |
16 |
7 |
18 |
31 |
36 |
13 |
100 |
Age |
26 |
34 |
33 |
33 |
22 |
30 |
25 |
34 |
DTM debut: |
2013 |
2013 |
2005 |
2012 |
2015 |
2014 |
2014 |
2001 |
Team |
RMG |
RMG |
MTEK |
MTEK |
RBM |
RBM |
Schnitzer |
Schnitzer |
Races |
54 |
54 |
137 |
64 |
34 |
44 |
44 |
175 |
Wins |
8 |
3 |
14 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
Podiums |
14 |
5 |
45 |
12 |
5 |
6 |
3 |
28 |
Poles |
8 |
1 |
17 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
8 |
Fastest laps |
5 |
2 |
14 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
Points |
505 |
193 |
758 |
345 |
160 |
219 |
111 |
489 |
DTM Race Calendar 2016.
6.-8. May – Hockenheim (DE), 20.-22. May –
Spielberg (AT), 3.-5. June – Lausitzring (DE), 24.-26. June –
Norisring (DE), 15.-17. July – Zandvoort (NL), 19.-21. August –
Moscow (RU), 9.-11. September – Nürburgring (DE), 23.-25.
September – Budapest (HU), 14.-16. October – Hockenheim (DE).
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*Update: After Sunday’s DTM race at the Hungaroring, following a report from the technical delegate, the stewards of the meeting concluded that the underfloor of Marco Wittmann’s car did not comply with the technical regulations.
Wittmann was excluded, BMW Team RMG announced an appeal. In the provisional race results, António Félix da Costa (PT) is now the best-placed BMW driver in third.