DTM to introduce new performance weight rules from this weekend

The DTM organisation has decided to change the current performance weight rules in effect from this weekend in Hungary, after a consensus about how the new technical regulations have changed the behaviour of the cars and the teams’ strategies, making qualifying no longer the benchmark for comparison.

Under the current rules, established last year, a best ideal lap time is calculated for each driver after the qualifying session, with the fastest being chosen as the performance mark for each manufacturer. The resulting lap times were then compared to each other, with weight added or taken in 2.5kg steps, according to whether the difference to the fastest manufacturer was within a 0.1% or a 0.2% of the fastest lap.

The new softer tyres and, in a lesser level, new technical regulations have impacted the way teams and drivers approach qualifying, with the session now subjected to a higher strategic consideration than before, consequently not being a benchmark of actual performance. The three manufacturers (Audi, Mercedes and BMW), together with the DMSB, have agreed that real performance is now shown at the races and have established a new system.

For the new calculations, a new ideal lap for each driver will be calculated averaging the best 28 (48 for Norisring) laps of said driver in the race. Each manufacturer will then have six ideal average laps, two of which will be used to calculate a new “best average” for each manufacturer. The performance weights will be then calculated with the same 0.1% and 0.2% rule than before, but now using the new calculated average best laps from each manufacturer in each race.

This means that the new performance weights will now be calculated after each race, as opposed than after each qualifying session.

For tomorrow’s Race 1 at the Hungaroring, the performance weights will remain unchanged from those calculated after Sunday’s qualifying session at the Lausitzring. The new system will come into force for Sunday’s qualifying and race at the Hungaroring, with the results obtained from tomorrow’s race.