Moscow. Bruno Spengler (CAN) celebrated a podium third place
in Sunday’s DTM race at the “Moscow Raceway”. After claiming BMW’s
60th pole position in DTM history in qualifying, he
battled well in a turbulent race which saw him finish on the podium
for the 48th time in his DTM career.
Marco Wittmann (GER) initially benefitted from the strategy of
pitting early and was doing well in the race after a safety car phase.
However a competitor, who was yet to pit, held him up at length. The
reigning DTM champion was on course to finish on the podium, but was
pushed off the track by another driver in the closing stages of the
race. Wittmann ultimately crossed the finish line in sixth place. Tom
Blomqvist (GBR) also picked up points for seventh place, after setting
the best time in qualifying before being disqualified.
The qualifying session:
Bruno Spengler brought home BMW’s 60th pole position in
DTM history in his BMW Bank M4 DTM in the 20-minute session. The BMW
Team RBM driver set a best time of 1:26.579 minutes and started the
race from pole for the 18th time in his DTM career. It was
his first pole since Norisring 2015. Tom Blomqvist (GBR, BMW Driving
Experience M4 DTM) was extremely unfortunate. It was actually him who
posted the best time in the qualifying session, but his car did not
have the required remaining amount of fuel left at the end of the
session. This meant he was disqualified and had to start from the back
of the grid. Overall, the BMW drivers experienced a successful
qualifying session. Timo Glock (DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM), Marco
Wittmann (Red Bull BMW M4 DTM) and Maxime Martin (SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM)
finished in fifth, sixth and seventh place. Augusto Farfus (BRA, Shell
BMW M4 DTM) was twelfth and started the race from eleventh on the grid
following Jamie Green’s (GBR, Audi) penalty.
The race:
Bruno Spengler defended his pole position at the start and led the
race. In the middle of the field, Maxime Martin was hit by Loic Duval
(FRA, Audi) and dropped to the back. Marco Wittmann and Tom Blomqvist
made their mandatory pit stop after the first lap. After six laps,
Martin was forced to retire his SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM with a braking
issue as a result of the early collision, the BMW M4 GTS DTM safety
car bringing the field back together. After the restart, Spengler
initially maintained the lead but was forced to let Mattias Ekström
(SWE, Audi) pass him on lap 11. Wittmann and Blomqvist were
strategically well-placed thanks to their early pit stops. However,
Nico Müller (SUI, Audi) held up the drivers who pitted at the start.
The Swiss didn’t pit until the closing stages meaning that the field
was very close in the final laps. A fierce battle for the podium
positions erupted in which Spengler ultimately secured third place.
Wittmann finished sixth after several demanding duels, while Tom
Blomqvist was classified seventh. Augusto Farfus and Timo Glock came
11th and 13th place.
The reactions:
BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt: “It was a
tough race in which a lot happened yet again. We gave the fans plenty
of action. I’m proud of our guys. They are fantastic fighters and real
racers. Unfortunately, you can’t say that about the whole field today.
Despite that, we achieved a nice podium with Bruno Spengler. He did a
fantastic job and drove a flawless race. I feel bad for Maxime Martin.
Loic Duval pushed him off the track and after that the radiator was
blocked and the brakes overheated. When the safety car came out, we
were fortunate that two of our cars had already pitted. For Marco
Wittmann in particular it was extremely frustrating that he was unable
to show his potential. However, hats off to the boys who gave it their
all, and congratulations to Maro Engel on the win. Now we will turn
our full attention to the next two races in Zandvoort.”
Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal, BMW Team RMG):
“After a weekend like this, first I would like to thank my
entire team and BMW. We all worked well together. It goes without
saying that I am disappointed with the numerous incidents – yesterday
it was accidents, today it was tactical games.”
Marco Wittmann (#11, Red Bull BMW M4 DTM – Grid position:
6th place, race result: 6th place – 66 races,
8 wins, 17 podiums, 8 pole positions, 595 points, 2 drivers’
titles): “We did everything right at the start, including
strategy. I had a good start, overtook Timo Glock and pitted as
planned at the end of the first lap. I had good pace after the stop.
When the safety car came out, I knew that we would be in a great
starting position. Unfortunately we hadn’t banked on Audi and Nico
Müller’s tactic of leaving him out for an incredibly long stretch. At
times he braked very early, even on the straights. He blocked us so
that Mattias Ekström could catch up. That ruined our race and was very disappointing.”
Augusto Farfus (#15, Shell BMW M4 DTM – Grid position:
11th place, race result: 11th place – 76
races, 4 wins, 12 podiums, 5 pole positions, 351 points):
“The race today was another game of roulette. Once again the
guys who risked pitting on the first lap brought home the results.
Unfortunately, we didn’t manage that. It was the wrong decision this
time. It was a shame.”
Timo Glock (#16, DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM – Grid position:
5th place, race result: 13th place – 66 races,
3 wins, 7 podiums, 2 pole positions, 283 points): “When the
safety car came out it was clear that our race was over. Then we lost
five seconds during the pit stop. There was no coming back from that.
These are the races where you want to pick up points but sadly we are
going home empty-handed this Sunday.”
Bart Mampaey (Team Principal, BMW Team RBM):
“Firstly, I would like to apologise to Tom Blomqvist for what
happened in qualifying. That shouldn’t have happened, so sorry about
that. Bruno Spengler had the pace to remain at the front, but then the
safety car appeared. It was quite a spectacular race at the front.
Bruno did a good job today and secured a podium. And Tom also did well
and managed to finish in eighth place. When all is said and done, we
are leaving with a few points.”
Bruno Spengler (#7, BMW Bank BMW M4 DTM – Grid position:
1st place, race result: 3rd place – 149 races,
15 wins, 48 podiums, 18 pole positions, 819 points, 1 drivers’
title): “I had a great car in qualifying, so many thanks to
my guys for that. The race was tough and we were unlucky with the
safety car. However, we didn’t end up suffering as badly as we
initially feared. I don’t think we would have been able to win the
race under normal circumstances either. It was a fierce battle on the
final laps and I tried to make it onto the podium somehow, which I managed.”
Tom Blomqvist (#31, BMW Driving Experience M4 DTM – Grid
position: 18th place, race result: 7th place –
46 races, 1 win, 5 podiums, 2 pole positions, 193 points):
“We were all disappointed after qualifying. We made a mistake
and lost pole. Then we opted for an early stop in the race and were
fortunate that the safety car came out. But then I was battling with
the tyres throughout the race and didn’t ever feel like I had the
right pace or grip. In the end, I am happy that we were able to pick
up points.”
Maxime Martin (#36, SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM – Grid position:
7th place, race result: DNF – 56 races, 3 wins, 9
podiums, 3 pole positions, 309 points): “My start was ok.
But then I was hit by Loic Duval in the first corner and ended up in
the gravel, which pushed me to the back of the field. The front of my
car was pretty damaged, and then later on my brakes suddenly stopped
reacting properly. That was the end of my race.”
The standings:
Drivers: 1. Mattias Ekström (113 points), 2. René
Rast (112), 3. Lucas Auer (99), 4. Jamie Green (87), 5. Maxime Martin
(78), 6. Mike Rockenfeller (73), 7. Marco Wittmann (72), 8. Timo Glock
(70), 9. Bruno Spengler (61), 10. Gary Paffett (61), 11. Robert
Wickens (58), 12. Paul di Resta (53), 13. Edoardo Mortara (41), 14.
Nico Müller (36), 15. Maro Engel (29), 16. Tom Blomqvist (21), 17.
Augusto Farfus (6), 18. Loic Duval (0).
Teams: 1. Audi Sport Team Rosberg (199 points), 2.
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline (149), 3. BMW Team RBM (140), 4.
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport BWT (139), 5. Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes
me (119), 6. BMW Team RMR (91), 7. Mercedes-AMG Motorsport SILBERPFEIL
Energy (82), 8. BMW Team RMG (78), 9. Audi Sport Team Phoenix (73).
Manufacturers: 1. Audi (421 points), 2. Mercedes
(341), 3. BMW (308).
The service:
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