DTM Sachsenring: Engel on pole as Wittmann and Thiim struggle in the wet
Difficult Sunday qualifying for the DTM at the Sachsenring on a wet track: after a downpour this morning it did dry out, but it was still too damp for slicks. Pole position was secured by Winward-Mercedes driver Maro Engel with a 1:26.307, which is around ten seconds slower than the times on a dry track. The 41-year-old thereby cut his deficit in the overall standings to three points to DTM ...…
Saturday's qualifying session at the DTM Sachsenring race featured chaos and surprise results. At the 2:40 mark, Mercedes-AMG driver Lucas Auer crashed at Turn 8 after spinning off the track, causing a red flag. Auer, fortunately, was uninjured but had to start from the back of the grid. Mercedes-AMG is investigating the cause of the crash, with the right-rear tyre believed to have come loose due to a broken wheel hub.
Thomas Preining of BMW secured the pole position in surprising fashion, finishing 0.126 seconds ahead of Manthey Porsche driver Marco Wittmann. Wittmann, who leads the DTM championship after finishing second at the Sachsenring, expressed surprise at his pole position. The Austrian takes over the DTM lead, one point ahead of Winward Mercedes driver Maro Engel.
Other notable results include Jules Gounon of Winward Mercedes in third, Kelvin van der Linde of Schubert BMW in fourth, and Maro Engel of Mercedes in fifth. However, Engel, responsible for the crash with Auer at the Nürburgring, will start from eighth place due to the red flag. Nicki Thiim of Aston Martin secured 17th place, while Matteo Cairoli of Ferrari moved up to fifth in the overall standings.
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- DTM Sachsenring: BMW takes pole as Auer crash sparks chaos motorsport.com
