Marco Wittmann sets the pace in first Moscow outing
BMW Motorsport driver Marco Wittmann was the fastest man this afternoon around the Moscow Raceway, host of the sixth round of the 2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. The current standings leader set a best lap of 1:30.607.
The Team RMG driver lead all of the session, which took place under cloudy skies and dry conditions until five minutes to go, when the first drops of rain started falling over the Moscow Raceway. The first free practice was largely trouble free.
Mercedes AMG was next on the charts, with Christian Vietoris in second place, 0.278 seconds behind Wittmann, and Team HWA’s Daniel Juncadella in third, a further 0.012 seconds away. The German’s team-mate at Mücke, Lucas Auer, was fourth, 0.327 seconds off the pace.
Augusto Farfus and Tom Blomqvist followed for BMW Motorsport, with the young Briton 0.487 seconds behind Wittmann.
Edoardo Mortara was, in seventh place, the best driver for Audi Sport, 0.498 seconds off the pace. The Italian was followed by fellow Team Abt Sportsline driver Mattias Ekström, just 0.011 seconds behind the only driver with two victories so far this season.
Timo Glock was ninth at the wheel of his BMW M4 DTM from Team RMG, with Mercedes AMG’s Maximilian Götz completing the top ten, 0.573 seconds off the pace.
Robert Wickens, Mercedes’ main contender for the title, could only manage to be 18th, 0.913 seconds behind Marco Wittmann, with debutant Felix Rosenqvist immediately behind. The Swede was still faster than fellow Team ART driver Gary Paffett.
The session was finished with the practice starts, taking place under a downpour over the Russian track.
The DTM is back on track tomorrow at 9:30 local time for the second free practice session.
