Miguel Molina hails “fantastic” race after Saturday race one nightmare

Audi Sport Team Abt driver Miguel Molina scored his first win in the DTM on Sunday at the Nürburgring, becoming the unprecedented 12th different winner from 16 races this season, bouncing back from yesterday’s race which lasted less than one lap for the 26-year-old.

The Spanish driver was caught up in a melee with BMW’s Tom Blomqvist, Mercedes’ Daniel Juncadella and Audi stablemate Jamie Green on the first lap on Saturday and was forced to retire with a heavily damaged RS 5, but took a commanding pole position on Sunday morning which he converted to his first race victory, with no real threat from behind.

“Today was a fantastic day for me, from the first lap in the warm-up to the last lap in the race,” said Molina.

“My mechanics did a fantastic job to repair the car after the crash in the first race. I’ve been on pole position a lot of times, but I’ve never made it to the end, but today is the day. I’m really happy for my team, and for my family and all the people who have been working with me.”

Molina’s result moves him to 16th in the drivers’ standings, only his fourth points finish of the season and accounts for almost half of his season’s haul in just one day.

His closest challenge came from HWA Mercedes’ Paul Di Resta, who had moved up to second during the early phase of the race and was slowly closing the gap to the Audi driver.

“The last ten laps were the longest ten laps I’ve ever had,” added Molina. “I was trying to be focussed, I was talking to my engineer to give me information about Paul (Di Resta) and to be in the rhythm…and on the last lap I was only cruising around as I wanted to bring it home, I don’t know what time I did but it felt really slow! “