Nico Müller says final win was “special” after losing the title to René Rast

Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline driver Nico Müller finished the season on a high, scoring a “special victory” at Hockenheim after losing the drivers’ title to fellow Audi driver René Rast. The Swiss believes Sunday’s result proves that he is on the right track to challenge for the championship again next year.

“Today it was very important, to end the season on a high, especially after what happened at the Nürburgring and also yesterday,” Müller told TouringCarTimes. “It’s what I wished for, the team and Audi worked very hard to give me a car that was competitive today, whilst on Friday I didn’t feel that comfortable in the car.”

Mike Rockenfeller claimed pole for the final race, but a five-place grid drop penalty handed Müller the top spot for the grid, a grid spot he managed to convert into victory.

“I managed to find the pace when it counted and I’m very pleased. It was very tight with Rockenfeller in qualifying, but then in the race I had the car I wished for. Sealing the vice-champion title like that after the way we lost the title, because it hurt a lot, so it’s special,” said Müller.

Müller has established himself as a front-runner in the DTM and won’t be wasting any time in preparing for 2020.

“We are here to fight for the championship but we have to get nearly close to perfection to beat a guy like René (Rast). Finishing the season like this gives us extra motivation to prepare harder for next year,” said Müller.