Marco Wittmann may have missed out on the victory in Sunday’s second DTM Series race of the weekend at Assen, but the German was more than pleased with his recovery drive having started at the back of the field.
A mechanical issue restricted the BMW Team RMG driver during Qualifying but by the end of the first lap he was running inside the points, and it was not long before he found himself battling inside the top six and fighting with those gunning for the victory.
He made the gamble to pit early for his mandatory tyre change but with degradation high around the Assen track, he was forced to manage those tyres until the chequered flag, which meant he was unable to keep the charging Mike Rockenfeller from overtaking him for first place.
He ended up four and a half seconds away from the Audi Sport Team Phoenix driver, but second place meant an important haul of points for the two-time DTM Series champion. The eighteen points keeps him in the fight for the championship as he moves up to third, forty points behind current championship leader René Rast, and eighteen behind Swiss racer Nico Müller in second.
“Of course, qualifying was a disappointment after the good results on Saturday,” admitted Wittmann. “From last on the grid, my hopes for a good result weren’t particularly high because overtaking is difficult here at Assen.
“However, after the opening lap, I was up to tenth or eleventh place and was able to quickly work my way up to sixth. But then I got stuck behind the Audis – that’s why we stopped early and attempted the undercut.
“It worked out, then after that it was all about tyre management.”
