Lausitzring. Another BMW driver celebrated on the podium after
the fourth race of the 2018 DTM season: after 34 laps, Marco
Wittmann (GER) crossed the finishing line in second place in the BMW
Driving Experience M4 DTM. The two-time champion was 1.427 seconds
behind winner Gary Paffett (GBR, Mercedes). Timo Glock (GER)
finished fifth in the DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM, retaining his top
position in the drivers’ standings with 72 points from four races.
In qualifying, Philipp Eng (AUT, SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM) had celebrated
the first pole position of his DTM career but had to be content with
seventh position in the race. Joel Eriksson (SWE) was also in the
points, finishing ninth.
Bruno Spengler (CAN, BMW Bank M4 DTM) and Augusto Farfus (BRA, Shell
BMW M4 DTM) however leave the Lausitz without scoring any more points
in the overall standings. They crossed the line in 15th and
16th positions.
Reactions from Sunday’s race at the Lausitzring:
Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director):
“The DTM and Formula E on the same weekend – and just 140 kilometres
apart: That was a first. The races in Berlin and at the Lausitzring
really showed the depth of motorsport coverage that BMW has. In the
capital, fans watched a thrilling BMW BMW i Berlin E-Prix. The two
enthralling DTM races saw us top up our points and celebrate three
podium finishes. It was great that Timo Glock was able to defend his
overall lead and it was certainly an eventful weekend for BMW M
Motorsport and BMW i Motorsport.”
Rudolf Dittrich (General Manager BMW Motorsport Vehicle Development):
“All the cars were within one second of one another in qualifying,
which shows just how close the field is. The changes to the track
layout paid off and we saw more thrilling races and great battles
here. It was a very good weekend overall for Philipp. He was on the
podium yesterday and got his first pole position today. It was a shame
that he wasn’t able to turn that good starting position into a better
result but he will be able to learn a lot from this race. In the
second half of the race, Marco was the fastest out there. He worked
his way through the field really well and fought hard for that podium
spot. Timo also made up a few places to score some important points.
We had five drivers in the top ten yesterday, and four today. That’s a
good overall result for BMW. We have got plenty of momentum going into
Budapest. Congratulations are also due to Gary Paffett and Mercedes on
the win today.”
Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal, BMW Team RMG):
“I am delighted for Marco. We never let ourselves get distracted. We
reacted in the right direction here and were able to implement a lot
of things that we learned from the first races. Marco was able to read
the race perfectly, and reacted perfectly in the car too. That helped
him to move up two places in this tight field. Timo also had a great
race. His objective was to score some points and that is just what we
did. As far as Augusto is concerned, we will have to see what happened today.”
Marco Wittmann (#11 BMW Driving Experience M4 DTM, BMW Team
RMG – qualifying result: 4th place, race result:
2nd place, points: 26):
“I am really satisfied. We had a great race pace, I was able to
attack Philipp early on and overtake him. After that, I was going
round as well as Pascal. We had actually planned on stopping on the
same lap as him but I just decided to do it differently. I stayed out
one lap longer and hoped to stay ahead of him. I actually managed to
do that. After the pit stop, I noticed right away that I could go on
the attack again. I got closer to Gary with each lap but there just
weren’t enough laps in the race. Nonetheless, this second place does
feel a bit like a win.”
Augusto Farfus (#15 Shell BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMG –
qualifying result: 12th place, race result:
16th place, points: 2):
“Unfortunately, we didn’t have the right grip this weekend and we
didn’t find the right balance. It was just one long struggle. We have
to do our homework now and improve for the race in Hungary.”
Timo Glock (#16 DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR –
qualifying result: 10th place, race result:
5th place, points: 72):
“That was a tough battle today from tenth place to fifth. I think
that was the best I could do. Everyone behind us was on an aggressive
strategy. That meant that they could get ahead of me so I lost a lot
of DRS early on. Looking at it like that, I am satisfied with fifth
place. I am happy for Marco. We put on a great team performance today.
If we could drive freely, we would be right up there in terms of speed.”
Bart Mampaey (Team Principal, BMW Team RBM):
“Philipp Eng produced a great performance in qualifying. He drove his
fast lap on the first run. That is extraordinary but the race was then
a challenge. The DRS plays an important role at this circuit. If you
have to go on the defensive from the first turn, it can get difficult.
However, it is clear that we are making great progress with every
race. We have two rookies in the team and both of them were in the
points today, so we are very happy with that. We tried out another
strategy with Bruno. Sadly, that didn’t work out so well.”
Philipp Eng (#25 SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR – qualifying
result: 1st place, race result: 7th place,
points: 26):
“Expectations change when you start from pole position. That was
really a difficult race. I got everything right at the start. After
the start, I wanted to pull away a bit. I managed to do that but
things got difficult once the others were in the DRS window. In
general, I had a very successful weekend. All told, third place
yesterday, and pole position and the seventh place today were great.”
Bruno Spengler (#7 BMW Bank M4 DTM, BMW Team RBM – qualifying
result: 11th place, race result: 15th place,
points: 23):
“We lost a few points today. Our strategy just wasn’t quite right and
we stopped too late. That was annoying. Now we are concentrating on
Budapest. I want to get back in the points there.”
Joel Eriksson (#47 BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RBM – qualifying
result: 7th place, race result: 9th place,
points: 15):
“My pace during the race was really good. I started well and the
first lap was excellent. Unfortunately, I lost a few places while the
lads in front of me were battling away. I got shoved off the track a
couple of times too. I could have done better. We will carry on pushing.”