Thomas Preining 2023 DTM champion!

• Everything came down to the final minutes of the session. Like the day before, Bortolotti was the first to shoot, signing a brilliant 1'36"806 improving his mark from the previous round.

• Preining is only 6th in the session at this time, the gap between the two men overall is then 24 points. Bortolotti did everything he could to keep his title chances alive.

• Thomas Preining nevertheless has resources and 1 minute 40 from the end of the session, the Austrian sets the best time in the first sector. He leaves that of the second sector to his rival. In the last sector, the driver of the Grello N°92 will make the difference

• Preining takes pole position by 6 thousandths of a second! The smallest gap ever recorded this season. Bortolotti no longer has time to return to the pits, start again on new tires and try again.

• Olaf Manthey's team, which won the team ranking the day before, can now express their joy: Thomas Preining is champion DTM 2023 25 in years.

• At 13:30 p.m., crowned with his crown and freed from all pressure, he will set off for the last race of the season with his great rival of the year.

• A fine player, his runner-up Mirko Bortolotti paid him a nice tribute: “ I knew I had no choice this morning, I had to be quick. I had a perfect lap, I was very proud of the whole team. We fail by 6 thousandths. Congratulations to Thomas, it was great fun to fight against him until the last day of the season, but hey there can only be one champion, congratulations to him. »

• The champion will have plenty of time to reflect on his result during the 60 minutes of the 16th race of the season which will start at 13:30 p.m. this Sunday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLsTWY_J-aY

ranking and results of qualification 2

second pole for Preining this weekend at Hockenheim. ©DTM Media