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Robin Frijns fights to race two win at the Nürburgring

Robin Frijns fought to a second DTM win of the season in race two at the Nürburgring, passing points leader Nico Müller as Audi drivers locked out the top five positions.

Müller had started the race from pole position and controlled the early laps of the race, managing a lead of just over a second and a half before the pit stops for the leading duo on laps 11 and 12.

However Frijns kept close to his Abt Sportsline team-mate, not allowing the Swiss to romp away to victory as happened in Saturday’s race.

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On fresh rubber, just five laps after his pit stop, Frijns passed Müller for the lead into the final chicane on the lap, using DRS to his advantage in preparing the move.

The Dutchman was then able to open up a lead of over four seconds, as Müller struggled on his second set of tyres.

Müller had fallen into the clutches of Team Rosberg’s René Rast and on lap 26 the German made a move into the first corner on his rival, taking second.

A slight chance presented itself further around the lap when Rast went off at Turn 9, but Müller was unable to capitalise and slipped further back, with Mike Rockenfeller claiming the final podium position on lap 30.

For Rockenfeller, third represents the 2013 champion’s first podium finish of the season.

Loïc Duval took fourth from Müller on the penultimate lap at the chicane, leaving Müller to settle for fifth and see his championship lead reduced to Frijns.

South African Sheldon van der Linde was BMW’s best driver in sixth, getting past Audi’s Jamie Green during the mandatory pit stop phase of the race.

Green took seventh, although not without having to aggressively defend his position from BMW’s Jonathan Aberdein four laps from the finish, with the South African having to settle for eighth.

BMW’s Marco Wittmann and Philipp Eng completed the top ten, Wittmann making up places on both Timo Glock and Eng on laps 21 and 23 with determined passes at the final chicane.

Lucas Auer finished just behind compatriot Eng in 11th, the BMW driver having dropped to last at the very start of the race after a poor getaway from the line.

Team ART’s Robert Kubica couldn’t convert a season-best ninth in qualifying into a result, finishing in 12th, ahead of the leading WRT Audi of Harrison Newey in 13th, who could have been higher but for picking up a five-second pit stop penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

The DTM completes its triple-header next weekend when it races again on the Nürburgring, albeit on the more often seen shorter circuit.

Race result

POS NO DRIVER NAT ENTRANT CAR LAPS TIME BEST GD
1 4 Robin FRIJNS Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline Audi RS5 DTM 31 58:16.157 1:50.219 2
2 33 René RAST Audi Sport Team Rosberg Audi RS5 DTM 31 4.281 1:50.948 3
3 99 Mike ROCKENFELLER Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi RS5 DTM 31 10.258 1:51.320 4
4 28 Loïc DUVAL Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi RS5 DTM 31 12.573 1:50.747 5
5 51 Nico MÜLLER Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline Audi RS5 DTM 31 13.096 1:50.514 1
6 31 Sheldon VAN DER LINDE BMW Team RBM BMW M4 DTM 31 13.487 1:50.489 7
7 53 Jamie GREEN Audi Sport Team Rosberg Audi RS5 DTM 31 16.741 1:50.600 6
8 27 Jonathan ABERDEIN BMW Team RMR BMW M4 DTM 31 17.697 1:50.810 8
9 11 Marco WITTMANN BMW Team RMG BMW M4 DTM 31 19.620 1:50.785 10
10 25 Philipp ENG BMW Team RBM BMW M4 DTM 31 28.909 1:51.316 11
11 22 Lucas AUER BMW Team RMR BMW M4 DTM 31 29.902 1:50.444 13
12 8 Robert KUBICA BMW Team ART Audi RS5 DTM 31 31.970 1:51.645 9
13 10 Harrison NEWEY Audi Sport Team WRT Audi RS5 DTM 31 34.899 1:50.605 15
14 16 Timo GLOCK BMW Team RMG BMW M4 DTM 31 43.837 1:51.048 12
15 62 Ferdinand VON HABSBURG Audi Sport Team WRT Audi RS5 DTM 31 56.394 1:51.331 16
16 13 Fabio SCHERER Audi Sport Team WRT Audi RS5 DTM 26 + 5 LAPS 1:51.169 14
DTM points deficit after Round 10
Graphic: TouringCars.Net
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