DTM

DTM 2017: Hungaroring Preview 

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Championship leader Lucas Auer. Credit: Daimler

The 2017 DTM Series moves on from Germany, for one of the four rounds that takes place outside of the country, this weekend as the drivers and teams head to the Hungaroring.

MercedesLucas Auer remains in the lead of the championship having won the opening race last time out at the Lausitzring, a year on from his maiden win in the series at the same track.

The Austrian also won the opening race of the season at the Nürburgring to firmly cement his title challenge.

Despite the positive start to the championship, Auer remains cautious ahead of the race in Budapest due to the Stuttgart based team having taken only eight points in the last three races there.

“We’re heading to Budapest for the next race weekend. Mega cool city, super cool racetrack. However the last races there haven’t been easy, but we’ll have to wait and see how things go this year with the new rules and tyres. I’ll give 100% again as always, and then we’ll just have to wait and see how things turn out.” 

In addition to leading the drivers’ championship with Auer, Mercedes lead the manufacturers’ championship and Mercedes AMG Motorsport BWT are on top in the teams’ championship.

It was not just a sense of deja vu for Auer at the Lausitzring as Audi’s Jamie Green also repeated his feat from the opening round of the championship to claim victory in the second race of the weekend.

Audi go into the weekend much more positive after a successful and historical weekend at the Hungarian circuit last season.

The Inglostadt team claimed the first four rows on the grid which they converted into a one-two-three-four-five-six finish in the opening race of the weekend before sealing it with a one-two finish in the second race.

Second placed man in the championship Green, said: “For me, the track numbers among the greatest challenges on the race calendar. Due to its many turns and short straights, you have to constantly brake and accelerate again. There’s no section in which you can loosen your grip on the wheel and there’s no time to think. In 2014, I was struggling quite a bit there. Last year, with second place on Saturday, things went clearly better – that’s where I’d like to pick up now.” 

BMW will be hoping for a much better weekend, after their championship getting off to a rocky start.

The Bavarian outfit are hoping for a much better weekend in Hungary than what they have experienced thus far this season as they hope to get their championship back on track.

Since the last race weekend, all six of the BMW drivers took part in the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring in what is an intense campaign for all the drivers.

Timo Glock is currently the best placed BMW driver in the championship, on 25 points.

Glock is positive ahead of his return to the Hungarian capital.

“Budapest is always a highlight for me and I have always recorded good results there. I claimed my first Formula 1 podium at the Hungaroring. We drove fast in the DTM there last year. I had a lot of fun at the Big Show Run on 1st May and I hope that we got plenty of fans looking forward to the DTM weekend. I really look forward to the Hungarian fans who come to the track every time I am here. They have always given me great support.”

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An NCTJ accredited Journalism Graduate covering DTM and the FIA Formula 3 Championship.
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