The local drivers had high hopes for the fifth DTM weekend of the season at the Nürburgring.
For the most part, it remained just good intentions and genuine efforts. Triumphs look different, which allows only limited hope for the last three races (Sachsenring, Red Bull Ring, Hockenheim).
An analysis of the status quo by LAOLA1 expert Gerhard Kuntschik.
Rejuvenated
There was a big winner in the Eifel, where the weather was quite normal (30 minutes before the Saturday race a rain shower followed days of heatwave; Sunday had a changed schedule due to dense fog over the 3.6 km circuit until 9 am): Kelvin van der Linde.
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The 28-year-old South African, who has recently also acquired a German passport, soared on Saturday. “Certainly my best race in the DTM, there was really nothing more I could do,” said the Abt-Audi driver afterward, who finished 15.2 seconds ahead of Mirko Bortolotti (SSR Lamborghini), who is part of the world elite in GT3.
Kelvin finished fourth on dry Sunday, as his brother Sheldon secured BMW’s 100th DTM victory, and he reclaimed the championship lead. The Abt team seems truly rejuvenated this year, especially since Red Bull has returned as title sponsor.
Kelvin is likely to be even more Austrian soon (2025), as he is considering moving to Bregenz – where DTM rival René Rast settled in beautifully years ago.
Damage Control
Previous leader Bortolotti finished second in the rain and said afterward: “Kelvin was unbeatable. I really couldn’t have done more today.” Sunday was a setback with a ninth-place finish; at one point, he was pushed back by a nudge from Rast. A podium finish would have been difficult, regardless.
After Sachsenring, the Viennese – the best qualifier of the season – arrives with a seven-point deficit to van der Linde.
Title Defense in Trouble?
Thomas Preining (Manthey Porsche) appeared frustrated and depressed in the Eifel. Everything that worked last year seems difficult to impossible this year. He doesn’t say a critical word about the 911, but the ease of 2023 is over.
Twice seventh, involved in skirmishes, with little chance to make up ground, and on Sunday losing a position due to a decision from race control (due to a 0.5-second penalty!) – that weighed on the mood. Currently sixth in the standings, the Linz driver has a 47-point deficit. Which of the next three tracks offers the best chances? “None at all,” Preining said on Sunday afternoon.
Title Win? Yes, but Elsewhere
Lucas Auer has often been considered a title candidate, finishing as the runner-up in 2022. But in the Winward-Mercedes team, he is clearly overshadowed this year by title contender Maro Engel. He has two fourth places to show this year (the second one on Saturday at Nürburgring); his last win was in Hockenheim in 2022, and his last podium finish in the Eifel last year.
“We need to analyze a lot,” says the Kufstein native. Like several others, he complained that there were no experience values with the new Pirelli rain tires until Saturday. However, it went even worse in the dry (12th). Auer stands 12th in the overall standings, with 69 points, half as much as van der Linde.
He is doing better in the GT World Challenge, where he is aiming for overall wins in both the Sprint and overall standings. Also in the GT3-Mercedes.
Late Bloomers and Missed Chances
After a surprisingly good start to the season, the Dörr team with its McLaren and thus also Clemens Schmid has fallen behind and is lagging. Nothing has gone well since Norisring. At Nürburgring, he finished last on Saturday, and on Sunday – just on his 34th birthday – he was forced to retire in the early stages. In Zandvoort in July, he secured fourth place in the first race, but since then, the Tyrolean has been scoreless.
For three-time champion René Rast, both the weather and the mood have similarly soured. The Wahl-Bregenzer did not get beyond 12th place on Saturday (where the three BMW drivers were not at the front); on Sunday he was “annoyed” because he was handed three slow penalty laps for colliding with Maro Engel (Mercedes) and finished a distant 17th – as BMW and Schubert teammates Sheldon van der Linde and Marco Wittmann utilized the superior top speed of their M4s to secure victory and third place. “Yes, a weekend of missed opportunities, that’s how it is,” Rast lamented.
A Young Talent and Family Affair
In the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany, two Austrians are driving this year: Horst Felbermayr from Wels (11th/retirement) and 17-year-old Vorarlberg native Kiano Blum, who is completing his first “real” racing year in the 510-HP 911 Cup after moving up from karting.
In the Eifel, he finished 13th and 18th overall, and 5th and 9th in the Rookie standings. Racing seems to be in his genes: He is the grandson of Vorarlberg “King of the Mountains” Walter Pedrazza. Perhaps he will follow in the footsteps of the Lietz, Bachlers, Preinings, Raggingers….
The ADAC is also trying to promote prototype racing, hence there is a Prototype Cup Germany. At the Nürburgring, Ralf Schumacher, 49, was persuaded to make a guest appearance – his first comeback since leaving the DTM in 2012, twelve years ago.
“This remains a one-time thing,” he hastened to clarify. The reason: He shared the LMP3 vehicle of US Racing with his son David, 22. Result? Well, Schumi & Schumi won the one-hour races once with a 17-second lead and once with an 18.2-second lead over the eleven competing teams.