Audi’s Loïc Duval was fastest in the opening DTM Series practice session at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli with BMW‘s Marco Wittmann quickest in the second session of the day.
Wittmann’s time in the second session, was almost a second faster than Duval’s from the first.
Audi drivers largely set the pace in first free practice with Duval followed by his team-mates: René Rast, Nico Müller, Jonathan Aberdein, Mike Rockenfeller and Robin Frijns trailing the Frenchman.
However, it was not all plain-sailing for the Ingolstadt manufacturer as four of its drivers incurred punctures on the left-hand side of their cars.
Following the session an inspection of the track revealed that loose screws from kerbs in Turn 6 and 16 had caused the issues – these kerbs were removed ahead of the second session.
There were more issues for DTM newcomers R-Motorsport Aston Martin as Ferdinand Habsburg only completed one lap before being sidelined by gearbox issues.
Having been the lead BMW in the opening practice session, Wittmann carried his pace over into the second session to claim the fastest time of the day.
The German, was just under three tenths of a second faster than Audi’s Robin Frijns. Zolder race winners Philipp Eng and Rast were third and fourth.
MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso ended up in sixteenth in both sessions of the day.
Originally, Pietro Fittipaldi was set to miss the weekend to be at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with Dovizioso replacing him, but races in the DTM this weekend in place of Jamie Green who was hospitalised with appendicitis.
