Robin Frijns blasts to third pole position of the season at the Lausitzring
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline dominated yet again in a 2020 DTM qualifying session, with drivers Robin Frijns and Nico Müller securing the front row of the grid for race two at the Lausitzring.
Sunny and clear skies welcomed the DTM field on Sunday, with track and air temperatures set to be higher than on Saturday.
After the first run, the Audis dominated the classification, with Nico Müller leading René Rast, Mike Rockenfeller and Robin Frijns, with Marco Wittmann the fastest BMW in fifth place, 0.284 seconds behind the championship leader.
The drivers returned to the track with six minutes to go for their final attempts, with a hard-fought battle for the pole position.
WRT’s Ferdinand Habsburg was the first to open the hostilities, with a purple first sector which allowed him to rise up to third place.
Audi Sport Team Rosberg’s Rast improved to steal the top spot, but Müller was also on a hot lap, clocking the provisional pole position.
But it would be his team-mate, Frijns, who would have the last word, scoring his third pole position of the year with a time of 1:15.787.
Müller was second, 0.065 seconds behind Frijns, with Rast in third, 0.124 seconds adrift. Audi’s dominance continued, with Habsburg in fourth position, 0.337 seconds off the pace, followed by the Team Phoenix drivers, Loïc Duval and Mike Rockenfeller.
Wittmann was the fastest driver for BMW Motorsport in seventh place, 0.529 seconds off the pace. WRT’s Harrison Newey had his best qualifying so far in his short DTM career in eighth place, 0.574 seconds behind Frijns.
Team Rosberg’s Jamie Green and BMW Team RBM’s Sheldon van der Linde completed the top ten, 0.690 seconds off the pace.
Championship leader Müller was left annoyed after the session, which saw ART Grand Prix’s Robert Kubica investigated for blocking the Swiss driver.
“Everything is possible from P2,” he said. “It’s a great start of the day. I didn’t get a clean second run, which annoys me. Not quite maximised, but another two points, so it’s good.”
Rast seemed to have found some positive improvements after a dismal start of the weekend.
“We struggled a lot on Friday and Saturday, we lacked pace, so we did a lot of changes in the car setup,” he said. “The race is another thing, but the pace is there, so let’s see what we can do.”
Frijns was satisfied after his third pole position of the season in fourth races, and hopes to convert his starting position into his first victory in the series.
“Qualifying has gone really fine this season,” he said. “I struggled a bit in the first run, but I put everything together in the second. Hopefully we will have a good start and keep my position.”
The start of Race 2 is scheduled for 13:30 CEST.
