Norisring – Race 1: Preining dominates a chaotic race

There were 27 at the start and there were only 11 left at the Norisring. The German layout surprised many drivers, particularly at the first turn. It is in this part of the circuit that the majority of accidents occurred. Between the various collisions, it was Thomas Preining who started in 1nd position on the grid who managed to win in race 2. The Austrian climbed to the top of the podium for the first time in his career in DTM. Avant le début de la course, Porsche avait pu montrer qu’elle était performante sur cette 4e manche du calendrier. Un aperçu confirmé à l’arrivée avec la 1e, 2e et 4e place après le passage sous le drapeau à damier.

From the first lap, the drivers quickly set the tone for a chaotic race. At the first turn, Franck Perera was hit at the rear of his vehicle. This incident created a pile-up of cars and gave the beginnings of the aggressiveness of the drivers on this track. After the safety car passed, already 6 competitors had ended their day. On the restart, Thomas Preining managed to come out on top by overtaking Kelvin Van Der Linde.

Preining benefits from the 3rd restart

But it didn't take long before the new accident happened. This time, it was Alessio Deledda who missed his braking and sent Esteban Muth into the wall. In passing, the Belgian driver took Franck Perera off the track. A disappointment for the Frenchman who started in 3rd position and who could score big points for his first race in DTM. Halfway through the race, the grid was increasingly empty and in the pit lane, René Rast took the gamble of changing only two tires to overtake Kelvin Van Der Linde. 

This choice of tires penalized the German when the race restarted. And once again, after just one lap, the safety car was back on track after Maro Engel retired. In the end, many title contenders found themselves trapped in Germany. Thomas Preining took the opportunity to move up in the Drivers' standings. The disappointment was great for Nico Mueller who was very critical of the other drivers who “have no brains”. This race will relaunch the championship and it would not be surprising if the entire grid was summoned by the track marshals for a call to order when there were only 11 left to cross the finish line. . So will the pilots learn their lesson? Answer Sunday at 13:30 p.m. at the Norisring for Race 2. 

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