The 2017 DTM season finally got underway with the first qualifying session at the Hockenheimring, with Mercedes Team BWT’s Lucas Auer taking the initial lead in the points standings, having stormed ahead to take the first pole position of the year.
The Austrian set a 1:30.849 with just moments remaining, eclipsing the pole position time from Nico Müller at last year’s season opener by an impressive 3.027 seconds, and is the fourth of his DTM career so far.
Completing the top three were Auer’s Mercedes stablemates Gary Paffett and Edoardo Mortara, with all three points-scorers separated by 0.281 seconds after the 20-minute encounter at the 4.574-km circuit.
The new regulations almost caught out double champion Mattias Ekström spun coming out of turn 3 on his warm-up lap, but the Abt Sportsline driver set the benchmark of a 1:32.470 with over a quarter of the session complete.
But Mercedes-AMG DTM had five of its six drivers leading the way with 13 minutes remaining, with 2005 champion Paffett ahead of FP2 pace setter Lucas Auer, Paul Di Resta, Robert Wickens and Maro Engel.
Maxime Martin went up to sixth, before Timo Glock posted the fifth fastest time with 12 minutes to go, just 0.113 seconds off the blistering initial pace from Paffett.
Müller was the fastest of the Audis down in eighth place at the halfway point, with everyone opting to pit apart from Mike Rockenfeller, Jamie Green and Loïc Duval.
Paffett increased the pace with a 1:31.042, with Mortara going second quickest despite a sideways moment in the latter stage of his last attempt. But it was the Italian’s BWT teammate Auer that stormed ahead in the high 1m30s barrier with less than two minutes remaining to secure a dominant pole position.
Glock would further improve to fourth ahead of Martin in the dying seconds, as all Mercedes drivers having all six drivers in the top ten.
Paul Di Resta and Maro Engel took sixth and seventh respectively in front of Müller, who was unable to move forward. Tom Blomqvist was ninth fastest, with Robert Wickens completing the top ten.
Ekström, who is also competing in the FIA WorldRX Championship this weekend, would be 1.233 seconds off the pace down in 17th, alongside Loïc Duval who was slowest.
Defending champion Marco Wittmann was only able to muster 11th fastest, ahead of Team Rosberg’s Jamie Green, BMW’s Bruno Spengler and René Rast, with Augusto Farfus and Mike Rockenfeller just over a second off the pace set by Auer down in 15th and 16th.
The first race of the 2017 DTM season gets underway at 1448 CEST (BST + 1), lasting for 55 minutes plus 1 lap, with all drivers needing to complete a mandatory pitstop.
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 22 | Lucas AUER |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport BWT | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 9 | 1:30.849 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 2 | Gary PAFFETT |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes me | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 8 | 1:31.042 | 0.193 |
| 3 | 48 | Edoardo MORTARA |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport BWT | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 10 | 1:31.120 | 0.271 |
| 4 | 16 | Timo GLOCK |  |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 9 | 1:31.161 | 0.312 |
| 5 | 36 | Maxime MARTIN |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 10 | 1:31.247 | 0.398 |
| 6 | 3 | Paul DI RESTA | |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport SILBERPFEIL Energy | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 10 | 1:31.275 | 0.426 |
| 7 | 63 | Maro ENGEL | |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport SILBERPFEIL Energy | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 11 | 1:31.309 | 0.460 |
| 8 | 51 | Nico MÜLLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:31.490 | 0.641 |
| 9 | 31 | Tom BLOMQVIST | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 9 | 1:31.510 | 0.661 |
| 10 | 6 | Robert WICKENS |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes me | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 11 | 1:31.538 | 0.689 |
| 11 | 11 | Marco WITTMANN | |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 10 | 1:31.662 | 0.813 |
| 12 | 53 | Jamie GREEN | |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 11 | 1:31.805 | 0.956 |
| 13 | 7 | Bruno SPENGLER | |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 9 | 1:31.834 | 0.985 |
| 14 | 33 | René RAST | |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 10 | 1:31.871 | 1.022 |
| 15 | 15 | Augusto FARFUS |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 9 | 1:31.915 | 1.066 |
| 16 | 99 | Mike ROCKENFELLER | |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:31.965 | 1.116 |
| 17 | 5 | Mattias EKSTRÖM |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:32.082 | 1.233 |
| 18 | 77 | Loïc DUVAL |  |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 11 | 1:32.450 | 1.601 |