Marco Wittmann pips Paul di Resta for pole position at the Nürburgring
BMW Motorsport driver Marco Wittmann took a last-gasp pole position at the Nürburgring, beating Mercedes’ Paul di Resta after the chequered flag was out, with Audi Sport struggling to qualify on the second half of the grid.
The session was held on a dry track, although some drivers, including yesterday’s winner Lucas Auer (Mercedes) experienced trouble going over the wet kerbs.
The entire field returned to the pits for the final adjustments with nine minutes to go, with the Mercedes the first to return to the track for the final shootout.
BMW seemed to have the upper hand in the final moments of the session, with first Tom Blomqvist and then Marco Wittmann taking the top spot. Di Resta swung the result Mercedes’ way, but it was the reigning champion, with a blistering first sector on his last attempt, who would take pole position with a time of 1:20.936, a tenth ahead of the Scot.
Robert Wickens was third, followed by team-mate Auer, two-tenths off the pace. BMW drivers Blomqvist, Glock and Augusto Farfus followed, with Mercedes’ Gary Paffett in eighth, four tenths from the pole position time. BMW’s Bruno Spengler was ninth, with Mercedes’ Edoardo Mortara completing the top ten.
As predicted yesterday by the Head of Audi Sport Dieter Gass, the cars from Ingolstadt struggled in the dry conditions due to their weight disadvantage, with Jamie Green the fastest Audi in 11th place, half a second off the pace. Championship leader Mattias Ekström could only manage 14th, with fellow Audi driver and title contender René Rast just one position ahead.
The start of Race 2 is scheduled for 15:18 CET.
