The DTM moves to the Lausitzring in Brandenburg this weekend, with series leader Edoardo Mortara and his Audi Sport team mates Mattias Ekstrom and Jamie Green looking to build on their championship standing advantage over the Mercedes of Pascal Wehrlien after the opening rounds at Hokenheim.
Going into this weekend Mortara leads the standings on 30 points after a fourth and second at Hockenheim, with Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline team mate Ekstrom five points back after winning race two but retiring in race one. Also five points back is Audi Sport Team Rosberg’s Green after winning the season opener but finishing out the points in race two.
“We had a very good opening DTM weekend and we want to again fight for top places at the Lausitzring,” said Dieter Gass, head of DTM at Audi. “However, the field is incredibly close and we do not underestimate our competitors. Mercedes have traditionally been strong at the Lausitzring. BMW will try to come back. And we have to add between five and ten kilograms of performance weights to our cars following the two victories at Hockenheim.”
Next in the standings is Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 reserve driver Wehrlein on 22 points, with the gooix/Original-Teile Mercedes-AMG driver finishing with 18 and four points in the two races so far this season, leaving him sitting fourth in the standings.
The next driver for Mercedes is Garry Paffett, with the EURONICS/BWT backed driver sitting seventh, scoring fifteen points so far this season.
“The first race of the season at Hockenheim was a real rollercoaster ride for us. The car was quick, and the podium on Sunday brought the occasion to a satisfactory conclusion,” said Paffett. “On the other hand, we unfortunately had a few problems and made mistakes which cost us good results in qualifying.
“That was obviously disappointing. But we’ve got over that now and are ready to attack again at the Lausitzring with the aim of scoring more podiums. The Lausitzring is certainly a track which I always enjoy racing on and where I’ve had a few successes. Unlike some of the other tracks on the calendar, it offers overtaking opportunities. This always makes the races at the Lausitzring a fun event.”
The top BMW driver, however, sits in eighth place in the standings, with Martin Tomczyk only scoring twelve points after only scoring in one of the two races. His BMW stable mate and defending champion, Marco Wittmann, sits behind him in ninth with twelve points, scoring in both races.
“Naturally I am looking forward to returning to the Lausitzring, after all I celebrated the biggest success of my career there in 2014,” said Wittmann. “The track has a little bit of everything – narrow corners, fast sections and long straights. I’m sure once again there will be plenty of action on offer for the fans.”
The first race of the weekend takes place on Saturday, with the race starting at 18:00 CEST, with the second race on Sunday starting at 14:00 CEST.
