Mattias Ekström keeps his feet on the ground despite decisive victory

Mattias Ekström took his first victory of the season at Spielberg today which, combined with poor results from fellow Audi driver René Rast and Mercedes’ Lucas Auer, put the Swede in a favourable position to take his third title. Still, Ekström refused triumphant words after stepping off the podium, choosing to remain focussed on the three races left of the season.

“It’s always nice hearing the Swedish national anthem on the podium, but what really counts is the last one,” said Ekström after extending his lead in the championship. “We still have a long way to go. For sure it looks better than being behind but I know this sport can change very fast, and there are still a lot of points to fight for, so we will enjoy this moment but continue to be focussed.”

Ekström started the race from third place on the grid, taking second position from team-mate at Abt Sportsline Nico Müller early on. After the round of pit stops was completed, the Swede closed the gap to leading Jamie Green, overtaking for victory with no opposition from his fellow Audi driver with six laps to go.

The Swede leads the standings with 162 points, 28 ahead of Green and 31 ahead of Auer, a deficit that could almost become decisive tomorrow. But Ekström remained cautious, especially when the season has seen important differences in performance from Saturday to Sunday.

“I think everything can change easily. Yesterday I felt that we could be good today because the car felt great but I have to say that my team colleagues are pretty fast, so you have to watch your focus in qualifying to be up front, then focus in the race, and try to make what you can here. But Hockenheim is there as well, so it’s far from over.”

Green had dominated all weekend, starting the race from pole position and leading until lap 35, when the Briton lost to Ekström. “Mattias got close towards the end and I was a bit concerned about the tyres on this track, so I was being pretty careful coming to the end of the stint, so I didn’t fight him,” said Green. “Team-wise, it was good to get this result and I didn’t want to battle hard with him, so it was more teamwork today.”

Asked about having given sixth position the position to Ekström back in Nürburgring and conceding the win today, a visibly disappointed Green said: “Obviously, I’m a racer, but I’m also a team player so, from that point of view, I always try to do the right thing.”

Audi Sport has also extended their lead in the manufactures’ table, now with 620 points in their account, with Mercedes AMG 104 points behind. BMW Motorsport now lies third 151 points adrift.