The newly designed 30 degree banked turn one of the DEKRA Lausitzring track gave the spectators who, for the first time this year were allowed in the grandstands, much excitement with the cars hitting speeds of around 250 kph on this new banked turn.
Round Two of the 2021 DTM championship started with race one on Saturday 24th July 2021, provided some highs and lows. From both female drivers dropping out to maiden wins. Esmee Hawkey, the British Lamborghini driver of the T3 Motorsport team, suddenly spun on the first lap and slid to the outside into the concrete wall. Thankfully, unlike her car, Hawkey was unscathed. At almost the same time, Sophia Flörsch retired due to fuel pressure issues causing her ABT Audi to ground to a halt. On a positive note, all of the drivers loved the new turn one.
Mercedes-AMG Team WINWARD Swiss driver Philip Ellis claimed his maiden DTM race win in a fierce battle against Liam Lawson’s Red Bull Ferrari (AF Corse). As the best-placed Audi driver, ex-champion Mike Rockenfeller managed to end up on the podium by finishing up third with the ABT Sportsline Audi.
This was also the maiden DTM race win for German-Texan team WINWARD and the first victory of the season for DTM returnee Mercedes-AMG. “I am totally speechless. When I saw the chequered flag, I simply couldn’t believe that I had won this race,” 28-year-old Ellis said. “Ninth place on the grid wasn’t quite the situation in which you expect to win. After the safety car, I was able to make very good progress. I am simply just happy.”
The Saturday race ended with an unusually high attrition rate of six cars including four Mercedes.
Race Two on Sunday 25th July was another race full of variety and entertainment. Saturday’s race winner, Ellis, initially defended the lead from first place on the grid, but Lawson in the Ferrari worked his way past Ellis’s Mercedes-AMG with a remarkable manoeuvre while still on the opening lap. Kelvin van der Linde also got closer and closer to Ellis and overtook him on lap three.
Throughout the race, cars were racing side by side, two or sometimes even three abreast. Mike Rockenfeller with the ABT Audi and last year’s runner-up Nico Müller with the Rosberg Audi led the field for a long time but eventually turned into the pit lane to have fresh rubber put on. After that, Maximilian Götz took the lead and remained there for the race to the finish line securing his maiden DTM race win and providing the young Mercedes-AMG Team HRT, owned by Hubert Haupt, their maiden triumph in the series.
“For me, a childhood dream came true today. This DTM race win means a lot to me,” Götz said. “I would like to thank Hubert Haupt for having been given this second chance in DTM. Hubert Haupt is living and breathing DTM, so I am even more proud to have secured this maiden win for his team.”
There was plenty of variety at Lausitz throughout the weekend, both on the podium and all the way through the field. Across both days, five different drivers stood on the winners’ podium. On Saturday, Ellis became the third Swiss driver to have won a DTM race as he kept Lawson and former champion Rockenfeller in his ABT Sportsline Audi at bay. Monza race winner Lawson, the youngest driver in the field at 19, was the only driver to end up on the podium on both days, bringing his total to three podium finishes from four races.
At Germany’s most recently-built race track, everyone’s focus was on the first corner. The premiere of the banked corner was an absolute hit among drivers and fans alike. “I wasn’t quite certain how it would work out with Turn 1,” said Götz, “but it all went absolutely fine and was more fun lap after lap. It is demanding. I am sure that the fans liked it, too.”
Round three of the 2021 DTM will be held at Zolder in Belgium, 6-8 August. Kelvin van der Linde remains in the lead of the DTM drivers’ standings at 69 points with Lawson close behind him on 65 points. Behind them are Ellis with 48 and Götz at 46 points.
