Photo: BMW Motorsport

Marco Wittmann satisfied with first podium of the season

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BMW Motorsport driver Marco Wittmann is happy after starting his points count for the season with a podium finish in today’s DTM race at the Lausitzring.

Wittmann had a complicated season opener two weeks ago, but a seventh place finish yesterday and a second position on the podium today have propelled the two-time champion to seventh position in the championship with 26 points.

The Team RMG driver started from fourth position in the second race of the weekend, overtaking fellow BMW driver Philipp Eng and managing to undercut Mercedes’ Pascal Wehrlein after their compulsory pit stop.

“We had a great race pace, I was able to attack Philipp early on and overtake him,” said Wittmann. “After that, I was going round as well as Pascal. We had actually planned on stopping on the same lap as him but I just decided to do it differently. I stayed out one lap longer and hoped to stay ahead of him. I actually managed to do that.”

Wittmann had a strong second stint, significantly reducing the gap to Mercedes’ Gary Paffett, who was in the lead.

“After the pit stop, I noticed right away that I could go on the attack again. I got closer to Gary with each lap but there just weren’t enough laps in the race. The car felt great and I think I could have gone on for another ten laps,” added Wittmann.

“I had hoped to still close the gap to Gary. In the closing stages, he made some slight mistakes, but it wasn’t enough.”

Team-mate Timo Glock finished out of the podium for the first time this season, crossing the line in fifth, and still managing to keep the championship lead: “Everyone behind us was on an aggressive strategy. That meant that they could get ahead of me so I lost a lot of DRS early on. Looking at it like that, I am satisfied with fifth place.”

General Manager BMW Motorsport Vehicle Development Rudolf Dittrich said: “Marco was the fastest out there. He worked his way through the field really well and fought hard for that podium spot. Timo also made up a few places to score some important points.”