The 2018 DTM Series is officially underway following the first practice session of the year at Hockenheim.
Paul di Resta ended as quickest ahead of Mercedes team-mates Gary Paffett and Lucas Auer.
Di Resta was the only driver to lap in a 1m33s.
Behind them came the Audi trio of Mike Rockenfeller, Nico Müller and reigning champion René Rast.
Returning champion Pascal Wehrlein in his first DTM session since 2015 was seventh ahead of fellow Mercedes returnee Dani Juncadella who ended up eighth.
Mattias Ekström, who is with Audi for a one-off weekend as a farewell to the DTM, was ninth.
Loïc Duval rounded off the top ten.
No BMWs featured in the top ten with Timo Glock the best placed for the manufacturer in eleventh.
Series rookies Robin Frijns and Joel Eriksson were twelfth and thirteenth.
Audi’s Jamie Green was the slowest of the Audis in fourteenth.
Edoardo Mortara was fifteenth.
The remaining four positions belonged to the BMWs of Augusto Farfus, Marco Wittmann, Bruno Spengler and Philipp Eng.
Action resumes tomorrow at 9.00 local time for the second practice session ahead of the first qualifying of the year at 11.25, with the race starting at 13.30 and will last for 55 minutes plus one lap.
2018 DTM Series Results – Hockenheim I Free Practice 1
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