Photo: DTM Media

Jamie Green takes second victory of the season at Lausitzring

By

Team Rosberg driver Jamie Green scored his second win of the season and the 15th of his DTM career after a strong drive in this afternoon’s Race 2 at Lausitzring.

Mercedes AMG’s Robert Wickens took the lead at the start, followed by BMW’s Tom Blomqvist and Audi’s Jamie Green. The BMW driver was investigated for a false start, receiving a 5-second stop and go penalty. Audi drivers Mike Rockenfeller and Mattias Ekström came in for a very early tyre pit stop at the end of the first lap.

Green made a move on Blomqvist on lap four, taking second position, with Mercedes’ Gary Paffett following suit. Meanwhile, standings leader Lucas Auer, who had started from 15th on the grid, was already in ninth place.

Auer was stuck behind Augusto Farfus, with Mercedes taking the strategic decision to bring the Austrian for an early pit stop on lap 12, being the first for the Stuttgart manufacturer to change tyres. Team-mate Paffett was the first of the front runners to complete his pit stop on the following lap. Ekström, who had strong pace on new tyres, overtook the Briton and continued his charge towards the front.

Race leader Wickens changed tyres next, with Green doing so on the following lap. The Briton momentarily got ahead, but the Canadian, on warmer tyres, regained the position, with Green falling into the hands of team-mate Ekström.

With all the drivers having changed tyres, Wickens was again in the lead, but with Green just half a second behind. The Brit kept the pressure on, overtaking the Canadian for the lead on lap 31, quickly opening a gap over Wickens who was caught by Ekström and Paffett.

Ekström watched Wickens for seven laps, saving DRS, waiting for the right moment to make a move on the Canadian. The Swede overtook for second place on lap 38, with Wickens now in Paffett’s hands, but with the Briton unable to make a move on his team-mate.

Green scored his second victory of the season, followed by fellow Audi driver Ekström, who complained on the radio about something being broken in his car and had to be towed back to the pits. Wickens was third for Mercedes AMG.

Paffett finished fourth, followed by the Audi contingent formed by Rockenfeller, Müller and Rast. Eighth position was for Martin, followed by fellow BMW driver Wittmann. Auer was tenth, scoring the final point.