1-2-3 for Mercedes at EuroSpeedway Lausitz

Bruno Spengler led home Mercedes teammates Paul Di Resta and Jamie Green for a 1-2-3, as Mercedes bounced back from their Valencia disappointment. Spengler’s sixth career DTM win, his first since June 2007, extends his Championship lead, but his victory only came at the expense of Di Resta, who was delayed in the pits during his second stop.

Di Resta had led much of the race comfortably from Spengler, but a problem with the Formula One test driver’s left-rear wheel handed the lead to Spengler, which the Canadian never relinquished.

Mike Rockenfeller was the top Audi driver in fourth, on a day that belonged to Mercedes-Benz, and also saw Susie Stoddart score her first ever DTM points, as the lady racer came home in seventh position.

The leading Mercedes trio were helped by rival Mathias Ekström’s poor getaway, that saw the Swede tagged into a spin by teammate Alexandre Prémat halfway around the opening tour. In the ensuing chaos Ekström was struck by Coulthard and Scheider.

The trio returned to the pit lane, with Ekström never returning to the track, while Coulthard’s return lasted just a handful of laps before retirement beckoned.

Rockenfeller and Stoddart benefited from the first lap melee, with the Audi man jumping to fourth, from where he held off Gary Paffett for the remainder of the race, while Stoddart made the most of the demise of others to pick up points.

Behind Stoddart, Scheider came back through the field for the final point in eighth.

Spengler now leads the Championship by nine points from Di Resta, with Paffett a further point back. Ekström is the top Audi driver in fourth, 13 points off the pace after his no score at the EuroSpeedway.