Photo: DTM Media

Marco Wittmann takes pole for BMW at the Nürburgring

BMW Team RMG’s Marco Wittmann has claimed his third pole position of the 2014 DTM season at the Nürburgring, leading a charge of five Audis, led by Edoardo Mortara, with his closest BMW colleague, team-mate Maxime Martin, down in 12th.

In a very mixed session for BMW, which saw rain disrupt the first section just as it had both of the free practice sessions in the morning.

Dropping out at the first hurdle was former Formula 1 driver Vitaly Petrov, and two previous champions, Mattias Ekström in his Audi Team Abt RS 5, and HWA Mercedes’ Gary Paffett. Ekström and Paffett will therefore line-up 22nd and 23rd on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Big names to fall in the second part of qualifying included former champion Bruno Spengler, who was only 17th fastest in his Schnitzer-run BMW M4, the two drivers who fought hard in the early stages of the last round in Spielberg, Robert WIckens (HWA Mercedes) and Augusto Farfus (BMW Team RBM), will line-up together again, but this time in 13th and 14th positions on the grid.

The last driver to miss the top eight cut in Q2 was Mercedes driver Christian Vietoris, who will line-up ninth on the grid just ahead of Audi Team Rosberg’s Nico Müller.

In the top eight shoot-out, Audi Sport Abt’s Edoardo Mortara put down a strong first lap of 1:22.925 to set the target, but it wasn’t enough, with championship leader Marco Wittmann going fastest of all with a time of 1:22.780. Audi’s Jamie Green left his run till late in the session, but could only go fourth fastest, he will start behind reigning champion Mike Rockenfeller, who was third fastest in the Audi Team Phoenix RS 5.

Timo Scheider qualified sixth in the second of Phoenix’s RS 5s, with Miguel Molina sixth, completing a brace of five Audis behind Wittmann’s BMW.

Daniel Juncadella shone as the best Mercedes-Benz driver in qualifying, putting his Mücke Motorsport C-Coupé in seventh position, just ahead of Paul di Resta, the top-placed HWA Mercedes driver.

Tomorrow’s race is due to start at 13:30 CET.