BMW’s Marco Wittmann has hailed his Nürburgring weekend as ‘perfect’ after the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters champion elect scored pole position, a win and took the fastest lap in the seventh round of the season.
The 24-year-old German was on form throughout the weekend, topping the important Q2 and Q3 segments of qualifying to take his third pole of the year.
Wittmann then followed up his fine qualifying with a convincing win in the race, despite making a small mistake half-way through when he skipped the final chicane.
The BMW Team RMG driver went into the weekend with a 39-point lead in the championship over Audi’s Mattias Ekström and extended it to 64 points over Edoardo Mortara, after the Swede retired from the race.
“Pole position and victory made it a perfect weekend at the Nürburgring for me and the team,” said Wittmann. “I had a very good start, led going into turn one, and was able to pull away quickly. My pit stop was also quick and flawless, and that allowed me to stay out in front. The team did a fantastic job.
“I made a slight mistake in the middle of the race – I braked too late and had to swerve through the chicane. Fortunately that hardly cost me any time.
Audi’s second-place finisher Mike Rockenfeller began to close on Wittmann in the final five laps of the race, slashing his lead from 3.3 seconds to 1.3 seconds at the finish.
“My tyres started to wear towards the end of the race, and I came under pressure again from Mike Rockenfeller,” added Wittmann. “However, I was able to defend my lead and clinch the win at BMW Team RMG’s home race.
“I am delighted to have been able to give my guys this gift. I would like to dedicate this success to Dieter Lamm, who introduced me to the BMW Motorsport family a few years ago.”
Wittmann’s win marks victory for Team RMG at their home event, with the outfit based in Niederzissen just 25 km away. Team Principal Stefan Reinhold praised the ‘big step’ taken by Wittmann.
“I am overwhelmed,” said Reinhold. “To win our home race here at the Nürburgring with BMW Team RMG is very special for the team and me. Marco Wittmann was not the only one who produced a magnificent performance. Maxime Martin also finished in the points for us.
“It does not get much better than this. When you look at the overall standings, we took a big step forward today. By winning here today, Marco proved emphatically that he fully deserves to lead the championship. I would like to thank the team and, of course, BMW. At this time of celebration, we are also thinking of Dieter Lamm, who is sadly no longer with us.”