Photo: Daimler Global Press

Robert Wickens launches bid for the DTM title at Lausitzring

Mercedes AMG driver Robert Wickens completed a strong weekend at the second round of the season at Lausitzring, putting himself forward as a candidate for the title.

The Canadian recovered from a dreadful start of the season at Hockenheim to claim two podium finishes and a pole position at Lausitzring, adding 38 points to his account.

Still, Wickens had expected to get more from Sunday’s race, where he finished second: “I’d obviously hoped for more after taking pole, but I still finished on the podium, so it’s difficult to be too disappointed. The first stint was fantastic and I thought that I had the race under control, but Audi were really fast during the second stint. I was unable to find a reply. It wasn’t possible for us to pit on the first lap. Our tyres would not have held up long enough. We decided to make a relatively early pit stop in view of Ekström’s pace at the start.”

The weekend’s balance is still a positive one for the Canadian, who is looking forward to the rest of the season with renewed vigour.

“Two podiums in one weekend are a great result. The championship is only just getting started for me, I would now like to keep it up,” he added.

Championship leader Lucas Auer had a tough Sunday, qualifying 15th on the grid after making a mistake and having a difficult race to finish tenth and reap a single point. After Sunday, the Austrian remains optimistic: “That was a great weekend for us overall. Thanks to all the guys in my team for their hard work. My speed today was perhaps not outstanding, but I still picked up a point for P10. Now we’re off to the next race weekend.”

Mercedes AMG continues to lead the manufacturers’ standings with 187 points, ten ahead of Audi. Head of DTM Ulrich Fritz had hoped for a win today.

“We can be satisfied,” he said. “However, it’s a pity that we couldn’t convert pole position into a win. A win for Rob would have been terrific.”