BMW Team RMG driver Marco Wittmann claims the first ever DTM pole position at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands, with a time of 1 minute 25.592 seconds.
The two time DTM champion beat current championship leader Audi Sport Team Rosberg’s René Rast by 0.158 seconds.
Cloudy skies meant the track conditions differed greatly to those in practice yesterday, and drivers chose to run two warm up laps to ensure optimum temperatures in the Hankook tyres.
Rast set the first competitive time, 1 minute 25.592 seconds, but was almost immediately usurped by Wittmann who’s time would remain unchallenged.
As the drivers returned to the pitlane after their first timed runs, R-Motorsports driver Jake Dennis stopped out on track and was unable to return to the garage under his own power, bringing out the red flag.
The session got underway with 10 minutes to go, and only BMW Team RBM rookie Sheldon van der Linde headed out on track.
The South African went faster, jumping to seventh on the timesheets, triggering all drivers to depart pitlane in order to protect their times in the final five minutes. However, the order remained unchanged as drivers struggled to warm their tyres.
Wittmann therefore claimed his third pole of the season, and will start DTM’s first race at the iconic Dutch circuit alongside Rast.
Audi Sport Team Phoenix driver Loïc Duval will head the second row after setting a time of 1 minute 25.749 seconds, narrowly beating rookie and Audi Sport Team WRT’s Pietro Fittipaldi by two thousandths of a second.
BMW Team RMR’s Timo Glock claimed fifth place with a time of 1 minute 25.853 seconds, and only three thousandths faster than Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline’s Nico Müller who lines up in sixth.
Van der Linde will took seventh on the grid after being the only driver to improve on his second run. His time of 1 minute 25.856 was just one thousandth slower than Müller, and 0.422 seconds off pole.
The second BMW Team RMG car of Bruno Spengler will line up in eighth after setting a time 0.570 seconds slower than his pole-sitting teammate.
BMW Team RMR’s Philipp Eng was ninth fastest, his time of 1 minute 26.056 seconds was 0.622 seconds slower than championship rival Wittmann.
Joel Eriksson rounds out the top ten, the BMW Team RBM driver setting a time of 1 minute 26.210 seconds, some 0.776 seconds off the pole time.
Daniel Juncadella was the fastest of the R-Motorsport run Aston Martins, taking 15th on the grid for race one with a time of 1 minute 26.657 seconds.
Qualifying result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 11 | Marco WITTMANN |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 6 | 1:25.434 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 33 | René RAST | |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 7 | 1:25.592 | 0.158 |
| 3 | 28 | Loïc DUVAL |  |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 8 | 1:25.749 | 0.315 |
| 4 | 21 | Pietro FITTIPALDI |  |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 9 | 1:25.751 | 0.317 |
| 5 | 16 | Timo GLOCK | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 8 | 1:25.853 | 0.419 |
| 6 | 51 | Nico MÜLLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 9 | 1:25.855 | 0.421 |
| 7 | 31 | Sheldon VAN DER LINDE |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 9 | 1:25.856 | 0.422 |
| 8 | 7 | Bruno SPENGLER |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 8 | 1:26.004 | 0.570 |
| 9 | 25 | Philipp ENG |  |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 8 | 1:26.056 | 0.622 |
| 10 | 47 | Joel ERIKSSON |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 8 | 1:26.210 | 0.776 |
| 11 | 27 | Jonathan ABERDEIN | |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 8 | 1:26.387 | 0.953 |
| 12 | 4 | Robin FRIJNS |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 10 | 1:26.454 | 1.020 |
| 13 | 53 | Jamie GREEN |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 10 | 1:26.479 | 1.045 |
| 14 | 99 | Mike ROCKENFELLER | |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 10 | 1:26.487 | 1.053 |
| 15 | 23 | Daniel JUNCADELLA |  |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 10 | 1:26.657 | 1.223 |
| 16 | 3 | Paul DI RESTA | |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 8 | 1:26.907 | 1.473 |
| 17 | 62 | Ferdinand VON HABSBURG | |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 10 | 1:27.218 | 1.784 |
| 18 | 76 | Jake DENNIS | |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 4 | 1:27.241 | 1.807 |