Robin Frijns claims his first ever DTM victory on home soil
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline driver Robin Frijns finally became a DTM race winner after dominating the first race at Assen, host of the fourth round of the 2020 DTM season.
Team Phoenix’s Loïc Duval salvaged second place despite struggling with his tyres, with championship leader Nico Müller in third.
The first start had to be aborted due to Audi Sport Team Rosberg’s Jamie Green being unable to start his RS 5 DTM, having to be removed by his mechanics from the grid. A new start procedure had to be put in place, with the race shortened to 52 minutes plus one lap.
Duval took the lead at the start, with WRT’s Ferdinand Habsburg making a rocket start to take second place ahead of Frijns. Team Rosberg’s René Rast got ahead of Team Phoenix’s Mike Rockenfeller and Frijns’ team-mate Nico Müller to climb up to fourth place.
Frijns overtook Habsburg for second place on lap two. BMW Team RMG’s Marco Wittmann spun on the track in the middle of the pack, falling to 15th position.
Rast overtook Habsburg for third place on lap seven, with Müller following suit two laps later.
BMW drivers Timo Glock, Lucas Auer and Philipp Eng were the first to pit, coming in for new tyres at the end of lap 14.
Duval pitted from the lead two laps later, with Rast and Müller coming to the pits at the end of lap 17, as the rain started falling over Assen, although it wasn’t enough to change from slicks.
Frijns pitted from the lead a lap later, returning to the track just ahead of Müller. Duval returned to the lead of the race, with a slim advantage over his pursuers.
The closing stages of the race were spiced up as Frijns, Müller and Rast closed the gap to each other and to leading Duval, with the four cars entering the last eight minutes of the race separated by just two seconds.
Frijns attacked Duval, overtaking for the lead on lap 30 as the Frenchman started to struggle with his tyres. Rast also lost touch with the leading trio, falling behind and losing to Team Phoenix’s Rockenfeller.
At the chequered flag, Frijns claimed his first DTM win, with Duval and Müller completing the podium.
Rockenfeller was fourth, followed by Rast and BMW Team RMR’s Jonathan Aberdein in sixth as the best-placed driver for the Bavarian manufacturer.
Habsburg was seventh, with BMW Team RBM driver Sheldon van der Linde next. Team RMG’s Timo Glock was ninth, with Robert Kubica claiming his first ever DTM point by finishing tenth for ART Grand Prix.
Frijns said after the race: “I’m really, really happy. I think here in Assen it’s the best place. It was stressful because, at the end, I didn’t have any rear tyre. It’s an amazing feeling to have fans for the first time this season, so it couldn’t have been a better place for me to get my first victory.”
The DTM returns to the track on Sunday morning at 10:15 CEST for the qualifying session for Race 2.
