Hockenheim/Germany, 7th May 2017 – Jamie Green started Sunday’s race from third on the grid, and immediately gained a place at the start. A little later, the Safety Car made an appearance after a collision involving three drivers. When the race restarted on lap four, Jamie Green (Audi) passed pole-sitter Timo Glock (BMW) to move into the lead – and never looked back. Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz) followed the Audi driver over the finish line in second. Third place went to reigning DTM champion Marco Wittmann (BMW), who had started the race from the back row of the grid in 17th. Saturday’s race winner, Lucas Auer (Mercedes-Benz), came home fourth and tops the overall standings after the opening race weekend of the DTM season.
The fans witnessed an eventful DTM race with many spectacular overtaking manoeuvres. Light rain started to fall on the Hockenheimring after just a few laps. As all the drivers had started on the Hankook Ventus Race slick, they had to call on all of their skill to avoid skidding off the track, which was becoming increasingly slippery. When the rain became too heavy, all the teams switched to the wet tyre provided by exclusive DTM partner Hankook. This tyre provided a lot of grip on the wet track through to the end of the race.
Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe: “That was a great opening DTM weekend, showcasing everything motorsport has to offer. The fans were treated to exciting races in dry conditions and in the rain, and all three manufacturers finished on the podium in both races. It is no longer possible to predict which driver will stand on the podium come the end of the race. The pack is shuffled before every race. The newly-developed Hankook slick played the main role in race one on Saturday, while the wet tyre was called upon too on Sunday. Both did a great job and delivered exactly the performance that was asked of them.”
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline clocked the fastest pit stop at the Hockenheimring with a time of 28.915 seconds. They were rewarded with 25 points towards the overall standings in the Hankook Best Pit Stop Award. The victorious crew also receives three crates of beer at the next DTM race weekend at the Lausitzring.
Jamie Green (Audi): “The new Hankook slick is a real challenge. To manage about half an hour on these extremely soft tyres is tough. However, that is the deal for this season, and it is working well – as you could see in both races. Today, it was important to choose the right moment to switch to the Hankook wet tyre. We did that, and that was the key to our success.”
Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz): “I coped very well with the Hankook wet tyre and was able to close the gap to Jamie lap by lap, without ever getting within striking distance. However, second place is still a great success. With the new Hankook slick, the start on cold tyres is really challenging. It is incredible fun to drive on it in qualifying, as it has a far higher peak than last year’s tyre. On the whole, the Hankook slick is doing an excellent job. It is going to be a good DTM season.”
Marco Wittmann (BMW): “You had to be careful not to spin off the track on the Hankook slick when the rain started to fall. We switched to the Hankook wet tyre at exactly the right moment. Coming through from 17th to finish third feels almost like winning. The new Hankook slick makes things even more exciting. Various different strategies are possible with it, depending on the track surface and temperature. I think there will be a few surprises in store for us.”
