DTM-C2: Jamie Green slips through the drops at Hockenheim

After Mercedes and Lucas Auer yesterday in race 1, it was Audi who emerged victorious from the second confrontation of the opening meeting of the 2017 season of DTM in Hockenheim.

Timo Glock (BMW), who started from pole position, had retained his position advantage when the lights went out, but the former driver F1 will not be able to benefit for long from its good performance following the intervention of the safety car after an incident at the first corner.

Robert Wickens (Mercedes), Loïc duval (Audi) and Nico Müller (Audi) made contact, Wickens ending his race in the tire wall, when the French driver was able to restart after a spin, but with a fairly damaged RS 5 on his right side. However, the former LM P1 driver was forced to retire a few minutes later.

Restart in double file

The first intervention of the safety car in 2017 was an opportunity to admire the new restart procedure introduced this season, with a double file created to restart the race.

A sequence that benefits Jamie Green (Audi) and Lucas Auer (Mercedes), quicker to get back into action than leader Timo Glock, who fell back to fourth position.

Green is however penalized with 5″ stop&go for a bad position during the restart. A penalty which will force the driver of the brand with the rings to increase his lead as much as possible over his pursuer Auer.

If Green manages to widen the gap on the Mercedes driver as usual, the return of the rain will make his task easier. If the two leaders will push their relay as far as possible, despite the deterioration of the track conditions, Audi will recall Green at the right time, when Auer completes one lap too many on the slippery Hockenheim track.

Enough to give Jamie Green the opportunity to observe his penalty and his stop and maintain a good lead over a new trio made up of Lucas Auer, Marco Wittmann (BMW) and Gary Paffett (Mercedes).

An error by the first city when braking at the hairpin gives Wittmann and Paffett the opportunity to move up one place, before the Mercedes driver gets rid of Wittmann for the definitive gain of second place, still a respectable distance from the frontman Jamie Green.

The latter won with a 4″9 lead over Paffett and Wittmann, when Auer failed at the foot of the podium after winning the first race yesterday.

Nico Müller finished fifth after resisting until the end the attacks of Paul di Resta (Mercedes), returning well after losing a lot of time in the pits during his switch to wet tires.

Mike Rockenfeller (Audi), Timo Glock (BMW), Bruno Spengler (BMW) and Maro Engel (Mercedes) complete the top 10. René Rast (Audi) was unsuccessful, eliminated after contact with Maxime Martin (BMW). ) during the restart after the intervention of the safety car.

Race 2 ranking

Discover the full report of the opening of the DTM at Hockenheim, produced by our special correspondent in Germany, in issue 2113 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.