Audi Sport Team Rosberg’s René Rast took won in dominating fashion at the Lausitzring as the DTM series celebrated it’s 500th race. The current championship leader held a 5.1 second advantage over Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline’s Nico Müller at the checkered flag.
After scoring his fifth win of the season Rast extends his championship lead to 20 points over Müller with only four races to go, as Audi claim the Manufacturers’ title with 858 points to BMW’s 463.
Off the line and pole-sitter Audi Sport Team Rosberg’s Jamie Green lead into the first corner, whilst Müller dropped from third on the grid to tenth.
A poor start from the Swiss driver left him back in the pack, as championship rival Rast was let through into the lead by Green.
Müller first passed BMW Team RBM’s Joel Eriksson, and, after closing on BMW Team RMG’s Marco Wittmann, pulled into pitlane to make his mandatory stop on lap eight.
The early stop allowed the Abt Sportsline driver to close the gap to the leading cars.
As the cars around him pitted, Müller pulled off a late braking move on Audi Sport Team WRT rookie Jonathan Aberdein who was on his outlap after pitting from fourth.
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline’s Robin Frijns and Audi Sport Team Phoenix’s Mike Rockefeller then allowed Müller through, and up into the effective second place.
Rast made his compulsory visit to pitlane on lap 12, and crucially rejoined with a two second lead over championship rival Müller. The 2017 series champion then sought about gapping his Audi brandmate, and after five laps held a near six second lead.
Rast would go on to extend the lead over Müller, whose fightback to second helped keep his championship hopes alive.
Rockenfeller held on to third place after a late charge from Green who passed Frijns and Aberdein late in the race to claim fourth.
Frijns crossed the line in fifth to score points in four consecutive races, ahead of the highest placed BMW of Wittmann in sixth. The two-time champion is now unlikely to challenge the Audi duo of Rast and Müller for the title.
Aberdein came home in seventh after taking an impressive front row start, and crossed the line a mere three tenths ahead of Audi Sport Team Phoenix’s Loïc Duval in eighth.
The second Audi Sport Team WRT car of Pietro Fittipaldi took the checkered flag in ninth.
BMW Team RMR’s Philipp Eng rounded out the top ten after the 29-year-old was forced to start the race from the back of the grid after his mechanics broke parc fermé rules after qualifying.
Daniel Juncadella finished in 12th and was the only R-Motorsport Aston Martin to finish the race, after Jake Dennis, Ferdinand Von Habsburg, and Paul Di Resta all retired during the race with technical issues.
Race result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 33 | René RAST |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 34 | 56:59.382 | 1:38.193 | 4 |
| 2 | 51 | Nico MÜLLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 34 | 5.187 | 1:37.941 | 3 |
| 3 | 99 | Mike ROCKENFELLER | |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 34 | 8.953 | 1:38.669 | 10 |
| 4 | 53 | Jamie GREEN |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 34 | 9.618 | 1:38.698 | 1 |
| 5 | 4 | Robin FRIJNS |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 34 | 11.341 | 1:38.359 | 5 |
| 6 | 11 | Marco WITTMANN | |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 34 | 12.982 | 1:38.763 | 6 |
| 7 | 27 | Jonathan ABERDEIN |  |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 34 | 13.752 | 1:38.352 | 2 |
| 8 | 28 | Loïc DUVAL |  |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 34 | 14.071 | 1:39.124 | 7 |
| 9 | 21 | Pietro FITTIPALDI |  |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 34 | 21.130 | 1:38.545 | 8 |
| 10 | 25 | Philipp ENG |  |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 34 | 23.105 | 1:37.897 | 18 |
| 11 | 31 | Sheldon VAN DER LINDE | |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 34 | 23.568 | 1:38.800 | 11 |
| 12 | 23 | Daniel JUNCADELLA |  |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 34 | 24.077 | 1:39.237 | 17 |
| 13 | 47 | Joel ERIKSSON |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 34 | 43.396 | 1:38.254 | 12 |
| 14 | 7 | Bruno SPENGLER |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 34 | 54.611 | 1:38.905 | 13 |
| R | 16 | Timo GLOCK | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 25 | DNF | 1:39.080 | 9 |
| R | 3 | Paul DI RESTA | |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 20 | DNF | 1:39.215 | 14 |
| R | 62 | Ferdinand VON HABSBURG | |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 8 | DNF | 1:39.498 | 16 |
| R | 76 | Jake DENNIS | |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 2 | DNF | 1:51.033 | 15 |
