Gary Paffett, first pole sitter 2010

Audi had dominated the first two free practice sessions while the Mercedes seemed somewhat behind. The qualifying session at Hockenheim contradicted this first impression, since three drivers from the Etoile brand advanced to Q4, the last phase of the qualifying session.

In Q1, all the big names in the discipline qualified for the next stage, except two big names in motorsport. Ralf Schumacher, although equipped with a 2009 Mercedes C-Class, and David Coulthard, beginner in DTM, immediately fell by the wayside.

Alexandre Prémat and Miguel Molina, qualified in Q2, did not manage to go any further. The Spanish rookie, for his first, finished thirteenth in qualifying. The Frenchman, equipped with a 4 specification Audi A2008, set the eleventh fastest time in Q2, five tenths off the time of his teammate, Mike Rockenfeller, one of two drivers of a 2008 car to have qualified in Q3 . Surprisingly, the two-time reigning Champion, Timo Scheider, in the 4 Audi A2009, did not manage to climb into the Top 8.

The level rose again and the clock started to go down. Best time with his 2008 Mercedes C-Class, Jamie Green qualified brilliantly for the final round of qualifying, alongside Martin Tomczyk, Gary Paffett and Bruno Spengler. Major customers had to give up at this stage, such as Mattias Ekstöm (Audi A4 2009) and Paul di Resta (Mercedes C-Class 2009).

In Q4, Jamie Green was unable to repeat the feat of the previous phase and had to settle for the 4th and final time, leaving the qualifying podium to the three drivers of the 2009 specification cars. Gary Paffett (Mercedes Class C) , test driver for the team F1 McLaren, was the fastest and was able to beat Martin Tomczyk (Audi A4) and Bruno Spengler (Mercedes C-Class).

Gary Paffett, who fought for the title for a long time last year against Timo Scheider, therefore inherits the first pole position of the season and affirms his status as a contender for final victory. On the other hand, Timo Scheider has not started this new season in the best way. The first race will allow us to get a more precise idea of ​​the forces involved: the start is scheduled for Sunday at 14 p.m.