Philipp Eng on cloud nine with his first DTM podium

BMW Motorsport driver Philipp Eng was ecstatic after scoring his first podium in the DTM in only his third race in the series.

Eng has had a positive start to the second round of the season at the Lausitzring, qualifying on the front row of the grid. At the start, the BMW driver had a slight advantage over Mercedes’ Lucas Auer, starting from pole, but stopped his attempt to take first position after the Austrian closed the gap to the pit wall.

The BMW driver was second after his compulsory pit stop but was unable to pass Mercedes’ Edoardo Mortara in the lead and ran out of DRS, losing second place to team-mate Timo Glock.

“The race was exciting and unbelievably thrilling. I would have loved to win, but the podium finish already is extremely cool,” said Eng.

“I am extremely happy with this third place in just my third DTM race. It could hardly have gone better,” added the Austrian. “I had no DRS at the end, but Edoardo Mortara was very clever. Then Timo was able to pass me too. That doesn’t dampen my spirits though. We put on a real team performance today. A big thank you to our engineers, we’ve done great work since Hockenheim.”

The Bavarian manufacturer had a strong first day at the Lausitzring, with five cars in the points. General Manager BMW Motorsport Vehicle Development Rudolf Dittrich said: “Timo Glock and Philipp Eng produced some thrilling racing behind him. That was great to watch for the spectators. Timo was able to extend his lead in the drivers’ standings, and Philipp put in a very strong performance in his third DTM race. Overall, that was a very good result for BMW, with five cars in the points.”