Photo: DTM Media

Robert Wickens grabs pole position for Zandvoort Race 1

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HWA Mercedes driver Robert Wickens has claimed pole position for the first race of the weekend at Zandvoort in a busy session, qualifying just ahead of the BMW of 2014 champion Marco Wittmann, with the Mücke Mercedes of Christian Vietoris third. The pole is the Canadian’s first in two years in the DTM, the last being at the Red Bull Ring in 2014.

Wickens, who’d led the way in practice on Friday, set the first benchmark down in the session which was soon beaten by the Schnitzer BMW of António Félix Da Costa, who then held provisional pole for the first 15 minutes of the session.

Maximilian Götz caused some drama in the first few minutes when he spun his HWA Mercedes around at Turn 7 and destroyed one of the advertising boards, but was able to return to the pit lane and continue on in the session.

It was Götz who would be the first of a flurry of P1 grabbing improvements in the final minutes, soon followed by the Audi of Adrien Tambay and then the Audi of Jamie Green, with the Brit the first to break into the 1:30s.

Marco Wittmann then grabbed provisional pole in his RMG BMW M4, before Wickens produced a time of 1:30.727 which would keep him ahead for the rest of the session.

Wittmann made one final attempt to take back pole, but could only get within just over a tenth of a second of Wickens’ time and had to settle for second.

“To be honest, it’s a bit emotional,” said Wickens. “This track last year was one the lowest points of my career…so to turn it around with a P1 today is amazing.

“There’s a lot that can go wrong so it’s not in the bag. It’s no easy task, Marco’s going to give me a hard time at the start I’m sure, but I’m going to try and hold P1 and win the race.”

Christian Vietoris qualified third with FP2 pace-setter Gary Paffett fourth in the ART Mercedes, putting three Mercedes-AMGs in the top four positions.

Jamie Green was the best-placed of the Audi contingent in fifth, just ahead of Audi colleague Edoardo Mortara, with the ART Mercedes of Esteban Ocon seventh, the Schnitzer BMW of Félix Da Costa eighth, and with the Audi of Mattias Ekström and the BMW of Timo Glock completing the top ten.

The race is scheduled to get underway at 18:10 CET.