Marco Wittmann takes the first pole position of the year at Hockenheim
BMW Motorsport Team RMG driver Marco Wittmann and Audi Sport Team Phoenix driver Mike Rockenfeller starred in an exciting duel for the pole position in rainy conditions at Hockenheim, with Wittmann prevailing to take the first DTM pole of 2019.
It had rained heavily at Hockenheim from the early hours of the morning, and the situation didn’t improve for the qualifying, with an air temperature of just four degrees Celsius at the start of the session.
BMW driver Philipp Eng’s woes from yesterday continued, with the Austrian going out of the pits four minutes into the session, but stopped at the pit exit with continuing mechanical problems. The session was halted with a red flag with just under 15 minutes left in order for the M4 DTM to be safely retrieved.
The session went green again with WRT’s Jonathan Aberdein spinning at the last corner and hitting the pit wall after going wide over a wet rumble strip. The South African was able to recover under his own power to continue in the session without needing repairs.
The closing stages of the session were marked by the fight of Rockenfeller and Wittmann for the top spot.
In the end, Wittmann’s last lap of 1:48.215 would be enough to score his 11th pole position in the series, with Rockenfeller also improving in his last attempt to finish just 0.066 seconds behind.
R-Motorsport made the most of the conditions, with both Paul di Resta and Jake Dennis on the higher spots of the time sheets. The Scot finished third, albeit 0.976 seconds behind Wittmann.
Audi Sport Team Rosberg’s René Rast tried to improve in the last stages, but could only manage to be fourth after being hindered by BMW’s Timo Glock. Fellow Audi driver Robin Frijns finished fifth, with rookie Jake Dennis placing the second of the Aston Martin Vantage DTMs in sixth, 1.5 seconds off the pace.
It was also a good session for Sheldon van der Linde, seventh at the wheel of his M4 DTM from Team RBM, with fellow BMW drivers Glock and Joel Eriksson immediately behind. Abt Sportline’s Nico Müller completed the top ten, 2.6 seconds off the pace.
The start of Race 1 is scheduled for 13:30 CEST.
