Lausitzring – Race 1: Sheldon Van Der Linde wins ahead of Luca Stolz

On the Lauzitstring track in Germany, Sheldon Van Der Linde (BMW) took advantage of the rolling start to start Race 1 in the best possible way. Starting in second position behind Lucas Auer (Mercedes), the South African quickly overtook the German to take control of the peloton. An overtake which allowed the BMW driver to subsequently widen a gap on his pursuers. In Germany, the sun gave way to a graying sky. This weather gave the drivers some ideas for pit stop strategies. Lucas Auer was the first to stop attempting to undercut the BMW driver who came through the pit lane on the next lap.

What a start from @SheldonvdLinde 💥💥#DTM # DTM2022 #WeLoveDTM #FeelTheRoar #DTMLausitzring pic.twitter.com/8pfaESgFVI

— DTM (@DTM) May 21, 2022

In the stoppage game, it was another Luca who came out on top. Luca Stolz (Mercedes), who pitted at the same time as Sheldon Van Der Linde after 13 minutes of racing, returned to the track in front of his German compatriot. After 25 minutes, rain appears on the pilots' windshield. Nick Cassidy (Ferrari) then says to himself that perhaps he made the right choice by delaying his time in the pits. But the meager drops of water did not prove him right and no one put on rain tires for Race 1.

Sheldon Van Der Linde regained the lead of the race, once all the drivers had passed through their garages, and was simply content to manage his lead to cross the finishing grid first. After 4 seasons, he signed the second success of his career in DTM. The two Mercedes drivers Luca Stolz and Lucas Auer finished on the podium behind the South African. The Mercedes driver took advantage of this 3rd place to take control of the Drivers' standings ahead of Mirko Bortoloti (Lamborghini) by a small point. Arjun Mainin (Mercedes) and Maro Engel (Mercedes) complete the top 5, respectively 7 and 9 seconds behind the leader who will start with the extra 25 kilos of victory this Sunday for Race 2 at 13:30 p.m.

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