Christian Vietoris scores pole for Race 1
Christian Vietoris scored the pole position in a breath taking qualifying session for race 1 at the Norisring, host of the third round of the 2015 DTM season. The German set a best lap time of 50.640 in his Mercedes C63 DTM of the HWA AG team
The session was set for nonstop action as the rain ceased falling over the Norisring, with the drivers and team setting themselves for an ever improving track.
Mike Rockenfeller was the first leader over the field with a time of 56.545, as all drivers went out on wet weather tyres, but his reign was short lived as every lap meant a change in the lead.
The racing line was drying and changing quickly, with Mercedes’ Pascal Wehrlein and Robert Wickens being regular visitors to the top spot. Bruno Spengler was also particularly quick for BMW, with Jamie Green and Mattias Ekström pulling the Audi Team forward.
After a very intense first stint, drivers came into the pits with just 8 minutes until the end in order to mount slick tyres. The track was still complicated in certain points, such as the braking point in Turn 2.
As the slicks warmed up, there was a new wave to lap times constantly improving, as it was clear that the last driver to cross the finish line would be the man on pole.
The prospects didn’t disappoint. Christian Vietoris was the last man through the chequered flag, clocking the fastest time in this session with 50.640. His team mate at Mercedes Gary Paffett was second, just 0.039 behind. The Briton felt optimistic with his result: “It’s good to be on the front row. In a session like this the key is to not lose time and control thecar, to make the most of the opportunities, so I’m very happy with this result.”
Third for Audi was standings’ leader Jamie Green, only 0.047 seconds off the pace. Paul Di Resta was fourth, with the Scot feeling he could have improved: “Yesterday the track was dry, and wet this morning, drying now again. It has been problematic with the setup, so I feel I could have done a bit better.”
Mercedes’ Pascal Wehrlein was fifth, with Augusto Farfus being the top man for BMW in sixth place. Robert Wickens was seventh in the end, with Marco Wittmann, Miguel Molina and Martin Tomczyk completing the top ten.
Lucas Auer had a good session, visiting the top spot a few times, and the rookie obtained his best qualifying of the year finishing in 12th place.
The start for Race 1 is scheduled for 16:48 CEST (GMT + 2).
