The 2015 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) season hits the finishing straight this weekend, as the series is set for a showdown of epic proportions, with all three titles ready to be decided over the final two races.
12 months ago, Team RMG’s Marco Wittmann took the drivers’ title, which put him under pressure to become the first man since Team Phoenix’s Timo Scheider to take back-to-back championship in 2008 and 2009.
However, that will not be the case, as multiple changes brought in by rights holders ITR e.V., the DMSB (German Motorsport Federation) and the DTM Drivers’ Association (DTMDA), has clearly reinvigorated a championship that needed a proverbial “shot in the arm.”
After visiting 8 different racetracks and completing 16 races, the DTM returns to the Hockenheimring, as the 4.574-km track will host the final showdown between three drivers, with another having a mathematical chance of being in the mix.
The man leading the way at the moment is Mercedes’s young gun, Pascal Wehrlein, who could become the series’ youngest ever champion, which just happens to fall on the same weekend that he will celebrate his 21st birthday.
His consistency this season has been reminiscent of how both Audi’s Mike Rockenfeller and Wittmann took their titles in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Wehrlein has 165 points to his credit, having secured two wins at Norisring and Moscow Raceway, with only having two non-points finishes at Lausitzring and Spielberg this season.
His closest rivals are Audi’s Edoardo Mortara and two-time champion Mattias Ekström, who are both race winners this season. They trail the current leader by 37 and 38 points going into the final weekend.
Team MTEK’s Bruno Spengler has fought his way up the field, as the Canadian has a mathematical chance to end up as a potential two-time champion.
However, it looks more realistic to see the 2012 champion on the final podium, where a new driver will take the coveted glass trophy and become the hunted for next year.
Ekström has shown his brilliance in the RS5 DTM this season, which also favoured Team Rosberg’s Jamie Green at the beginning of the year, before the Briton’s title hopes were dashed after the racing at the Nürburgring.
Green was leading the way after three wins after the first two race weekends at Hockenheim and Lausitzring. But with five successive non-points finishes from the second race at Norisring to the end of the weekend at Spielberg, his campaign was significantly unsettled, especially when leading race one in Austria, where his gearbox failed in dramatic fashion.
The “scheib ihn raus” scandal that hit the DTM in Austria, following the collision between Scheider and Mercedes’ Robert Wickens in race two, sent shockwaves throughout the paddock.
The DMSB’s decision to enforce a draconian penalty to Audi Sport after the incident, was harsh, but fair.
But it hit Ingolstadt’s constructors’ title defence hard, as the manufacturer lost all points after that round, along with Scheider being excluded for Moscow, a 200,000 Euro fine and Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich being banned from any type of radio usage for the remainder of the championship.
Mercedes was vocal in its thoughts about the matter, which saw both Wickens and Wehrlein beached in the gravel, but if no penalty was issued, the ensuing fall out could have been considerably worse.
Aside from the controversy, the dual race format, which was last used in 2002, has made for some great racing all round. It has put everyone under pressure to perform, with two 20-minute qualifying sessions and two races.
This has seen multiple drivers taking pole positions, including rookie driver Lucas Auer taking pole position for Nürburging race one, along with António Félix da Costa doing the same for Zandvoort race two, where he also took his maiden DTM win.
Along with da Costa, there have been 12 different winners altogether this season, with Audi’s Miguel Molina and BMW’s Tom Blomqvist taking their first wins as well.
Molina made his own mark in the history books, becoming the first Spaniard to take a win in the series, dominating the second race in the Eiffel mountains a fortnight ago.
Stefan Reinhold’s Team RMG looks certain to relinquish the team title, as the Niederzissen-based outfit sits third in the standings. They are equal on points with Ernst Knoors’s Team MTEK, who have recently had a stream of good results thanks to Spengler and Timo Glock.
However, the main focus will be on the team that currently has Wehrlein in its camp, gooix/Original-Teile Mercedes-AMG, who are at the top of the team standings on 221 points, but Hans-Jürgen Abt’s Team Abt Sportsline have title contender Ekström and Molina on board. If they have a better showing, it could also come down to the wire.
In terms of the manufacturer’s standings, Audi Sport need a miracle to have a chance of retaining their title, with BMW currently leading on 554 points, with Mercedes and Audi 51 and 82 points behind respectively.
The Stuttgart manufacturer will want to give the current C63 AMG DTM variation a fitting send off by winning this particular title, before their new challenger hits the track for post-season testing, ahead of its 2016 debut.
Apart from the formalities, the DTM has really made good steps forward, especially with the manufacturers and drivers also being involved in the decisions to really spice up the action for the fans trackside and those watching at home.
This includes the changes to the Drag Reduction System (DRS) allowances per lap and a sole tyre compound from Hankook, with potential for more to come next year, depending on the thoughts of all concerned.
TouringCars.net will be trackside at Hockenheim, providing the latest news, reports and latest developments on one of the fastest touring cars series around.
Race weekend schedule:
Friday 16th October:
Roll-out: 1135 CEST (35 minutes)
Free practice one: 1525 CEST (50 minutes)
Saturday 17th October:
Free practice two: 0900 CEST (50 minutes)
Race 1 qualifying: 1110 CEST (20 minutes)
Race 1 : 1330 CEST (40 minutes plus 1 lap)
Sunday 18th October:
Warm-up: 0905 CEST (20 minutes)
Race 2 qualifying: 1140 CEST (20 minutes)
Race 2: 1515 CEST (60 minutes plus 1 lap)
(All times are BST + 1 hour)