Photo: DTM Media

Lucas Auer puts his name down for the championship after Lausitzring win

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Mercedes AMG driver Lucas Auer achieved a dominant victory at the Lausitzring , the second of the season and the third of his DTM career, in a day where the Austrian didn’t leave his rivals any opportunity to stop him.

Auer was fastest in the morning’s second free practice session, then took pole position with a time half-a-second faster than last year. The Austrian from Team HWA then led Saturday’s race from start to finish, only briefly dropping back during the pit stop sequence. Team-mate Robert Wickens tried to close the gap at the beginning and in the final stages of the race, but Auer responded with faster laps, controlling the gap at all times

“That was a super race, absolutely amazing,” said Lucas Auer. “(The) balance was terrific today, and our tyres were extremely consistent. My driving style and a brilliant car combined to give us victory today. My second stint was super. It’s always difficult to win, but I set the pace today. You can never sit back and relax in the DTM because you always have to keep an eye on tyres and manage degradation.”

Lucas Auer has now extended his lead in the championship, with 68 points to his account, double the amount than his closest rival, team-mate Gary Paffett.

Robert Wickens was happy with second place, after a disastrous season opener at Hockenheim: “It wasn’t an easy race. I went off in pursuit of Luggi (Auer), but he was too far away. I’ve always managed really well at the Lausitzring. Maybe bumpy tracks just suit me.”

Mercedes AMG DTM head Ulrich Fritz was satisfied with a good all around performance from his team today, not only achieving a victory, but getting five cars into the points.

“That was an extremely strong race from Luggi and Rob,” he said. “It was especially impressive to see how both guys maintained their excellent starting positions. Of course, our pit crews also contributed a great deal. The stops were really good. A one-two win and five Mercedes in the top ten – what a great start to this race weekend.”