Marco Wittmann is the new championship leader

BMW Motorsport driver Marco Wittmann had a tough race today at the Lausitzring, host of the third round of the 2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season. The Team RMG driver had to constantly defend to be fourth at the chequered flag, taking the lead in the Drivers’ table.

Wittmann initially qualified in third position on the grid, but lost a place at the start to Mercedes AMG’s Robert Wickens. The 2014 champion was then under attack from the Mercedes Team Mücke drivers for the remainder of the race.

The result came as a pleasant surprise for Wittmann: “My summary is more than positive. We did not reckon on finishing fourth here, and taking the lead in the Drivers’ Championship. We scored a lot of points, which is important, particularly on a track, at which we are not so strong. I had a good start, but unfortunately I could not find a way through to the very front. Towards the end of the race I did not have any DRS left and had to go on the defensive. It was a tough race but, on the whole, I am very happy.”

Marco Wittmann now leads the standings with 47 points, three more than Audi’s Edoardo Mortara.

Jens Marquardt, BMW Motorsport Director, was pleased to score points in a track where the team wasn’t expecting a good result: “We can be very satisfied with fourth place for Marco Wittmann. He used up his DRS quota relatively early in the race, and then defended his position doggedly against those behind him. Given the fact that the Lausitzring does not really suit the BMW M4 DTM, that was a good result today.”

Despite being the lowest scoring team today at the Lausitzring, BMW Motorsport still leads the Manufacturers’ table, with 217 points, 53 more than Audi Sport.