Room for “creative tyre strategies” at the Norisring this weekend

Tarmac and weather conditions at the Norisring have set the right conditions for teams to plan “creative tyre strategies” in this weekend’s DTM races, according to tyre partner Hankook chief engineer Thomas Baltes.

“We are running the same tyres, same pressures and same camber settings as last years,” Baltes told TouringCarTimes. “Therefore we can expect the same tyre wear we had, which is very low, despite running with the turbo engines.”

“The only variation we have this weekend is a slight rain forecast for Sunday, but it still depends on which direction will the wind blow,” added Baltes.

“But, regarding the race, there won’t be any need for two pit stops unless someone has tyre damage,” he added. “We have a lot of sand and some small glass bits, especially around Turn 1, which affect the grip and could present some risk for the tyres.”

Given the conditions, and specifically asked by TouringCarTimes whether it was possible for the teams to run extreme tyre strategies, like pitting on the very first lap or on the last one, Baltes said: “Yes, definitely, it would be perfectly possible and with no risk for the tyres. It obviously depends on the setup and the driving style of each driver.

“I would say there is a high risk of having a safety car in at least one of the races, and I’m sure the teams are already preparing their strategies around this,” concluded Baltes.

Hankook extended their agreement with DTM’s umbrella organisation ITR for a further four years until the end of 2023 earlier this week, the series sole tyre provider since 2011.

“We have celebrated so far 122 DTM races without a single tyre failure not caused by external reasons,” said Director of Corporate Communications at Hankook Felix Kinzer to TouringCarTimes. “This proves the commitment we have and the quality of our work and we are looking forward to continuing in this manner with the DTM for the next four years.”