Nico Müller: “I messed up the start”

Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline’s Nico Müller was just 0.089 seconds short of securing a hat-trick on Sunday at the Lausitzring.

The Swiss star finished second in the race and reckons a problem at the start probably cost him the race.

“I made a poor start, I didn’t expect the grip to be so much higher than yesterday, so I got bogged down,” Müller told TouringCarTimes. “I can only blame myself.”

Müller started from second on the grid, but fell down to fourth place after the opening lap hostilities. Müller was the penultimate driver to change tyres, doing so on lap 20, almost at half point in the race.

“When you are in the middle of the pack and of the battles it’s hard to keep your race clean, but we managed to have a long stint,” explained Müller. “Luckily it worked out for us.”

The Team Abt Sportsline driver overtook team-mate Robin Frijns for second place on lap 36, hunting Team Rosberg’s René Rast until the chequered flag.

“Today I was praying for one more lap and I think I was less than a car’s length. René did a good job and I think this is going to be a long season with lots of fights,” concluded Müller.

Müller still managed a successful weekend at the Lausitzring, increasing his lead in the championship with 100 points in his account from 112 possible.

Rast is second, 39 points adrift, with Frijns in third, 42 behind his team-mate.