Photo: DTM Media

DTM organisers admit potential fault with slow zone monitoring system

DTM race control has admitted that Audi Sport Abt drivers Edoardo Mortara and Nico Müller may not have broken the slow zone speed limit on Saturday, following a post-race investigation which determined there are “deviations” between the GPS data and the Audi Sport Abt team’s data.

Mortara had heavily criticised the call for his penalty after yesterday’s race, a peanlty which which dropped the Italian from sixth to 17th and took him out of a near-certain points finish in the race.

Race control have confirmed that until the system will be investigated over the next few days, and that no in-race penalties will be handed out for any potential slow zone breaches in today’s races.

“During the race, we have to be able to rely on the technical systems made available to us,” said race control’s Michael Kramp.

“When the system is reporting that somebody is speeding, an immediate penalty is inevitable. Therefore, race control will refrain from using the GPS data to control the slow zones until the situation has been fully clarified. When a slow zone would be necessary during the race, any speeding infringements will only be analysed and penalised after the race.”

The DTM has confirmed however that there’s no possibility to reverse any drive-through penalty which has already been applied, nor do Audi have any option to protest the decision, meaning the results of Race 1 stand.