Slippery when wet: in adverse conditions, qualifying for the first race of the 2019 DTM season took place at the 4.574km long Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg.
With rain no longer falling, but on a wet and slippery track, the pole-time was always going to come in the dying minutes of the session, when the most water had been cleared from the racing line.
And so it proved to be, although BMW driver Marco Wittmann truly demonstrated his wet-weather abilities by throwing in his fastest lap of 1m48.215s a minute or two before his rivals slithered across the line to set their best laps.
For the two-time DTM champion, it was his 11th DTM pole. Audi’s Mike Rockenfeller qualified second, only 0.066 seconds down on Wittmann’s time, while Paul Di Resta snatched third place for R-Motorsport Aston Martin with a couple of brave and determined laps in the final minutes. The Scot’s lap-time meant all three manufacturer brands occupied the first three grid positions.
Earlier in the session, red flags were out as Philipp Eng’s BMW came to a halt at the pit-lane exit, preventing any further running. Yesterday, he had already spent the entire second free practice in the pits due to issues with the electronics. It hasn’t proved a successful weekend so far for the Austrian.
Once action resumed, Wittmann and Rockenfeller alternated several times at the top of the timing screens before Wittmann eventually posted the pole-winning time around two minutes before the end of the session. “We already felt strong in the rain yesterday, but it is great that it has worked out with pole,” Wittmann commented.
DTM’s rookies also impressed in qualifying: Di Resta’s Aston team-mate Jake Dennis finished up sixth, while BMW driver Sheldon van der Linde showed impressive pace, too, ending up in seventh place.
For WRT Audi drivers Pietro Fittipaldi and Jonathan Aberdein, it was a slightly more difficult affair: Fittipaldi qualified 15th, one pace ahead of his team-mate, who spun once coming out of the final corner and slightly touched the pit wall with the front side of his car.
Aberdein’s qualifying times were later disqualified for a post-session parc ferme infringement. He will be permitted to start from the back of the grid.
