Rene Rast wins to take points lead, Jack Aitken cr...

Schubert BMW driver Rene Rast was unbeatable within the first DTM race on the Crimson Bull Ring in Spielberg, overtaking polesitter Marco Wittmann on the third lap earlier than pulling away to attain a cushty win.

“There’s nothing to complain about at the moment,” the three-time DTM champion mentioned in an interview with ran.de. “I believe the blokes did a superb pit cease. We had an excellent technique and an excellent automobile. That’s why, for as soon as, there’s actually nothing to complain about at the moment.”

Whereas Rast loved a clear race on the entrance, there was drama behind him on the ultimate lap as Emil Frey Ferrari’s Jack Aitken made an error and ended up within the boundaries. The incident promoted Rast’s team-mate Wittmann and the sister Emil Frey Ferrari of Thierry Vermeulen to second and third within the remaining classification.

Ben Green, additionally from Emil Frey, completed fourth, adopted by Winward’s Maro Engel and Manthey Porsche driver Thomas Preining.

Title contender Jordan Pepper (Grasser Lamborghini) got here seventh, after the South African managed to squeeze previous Jules Gounon in the direction of the top of the race. Winward Mercedes driver Gounon slowed down significantly within the remaining two laps and dragged his smoking automobile throughout the road, which he then needed to park and extinguish shortly after.

Behind him, Gilles Magnus (Comtoyou Aston Martin) and Luca Engstler (Grasser Lamborghini) accomplished the highest 10.

Firstly, Wittmann initially held the the lead from pole place, however Rast was already placing him beneath strain. Behind them, Aitken slotted his Emil Frey Ferrari into third place after the primary lap, adopted by Feller, Inexperienced and Engstler.

In the meantime, Timo Glock’s disappointing weekend continued; within the first-lap chaos, the previous System 1 driver suffered a puncture on his Dorr McLaren, forcing him into an early pit cease and dropping him in the direction of the rear of the sphere. Glock was left chasing the pack for the remainder of the race and completed final.

Issues additionally went badly for Gilles Magnus, who had certified third on the grid within the Comtoyou Aston Martin, as he dropped a number of positions. To make issues worse, the Belgian obtained his third warning for forcing AMG driver Engel off monitor, which means he will probably be handed a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s second race

On the entrance, the BMW drivers swapped positions in the beginning of lap three, permitting Rast to take the lead from Wittmann. Aitken additionally got here beneath strain early on from Land Audi driver Feller, however the Swiss couldn’t discover a well beyond and needed to drop again in the intervening time.

When the pit cease window opened, Rast had already pulled greater than two seconds away from his BMW teammate on the entrance. By this level, Wittmann even needed to begin wanting in his mirrors, as Aitken and Feller had been closing in on the two-time DTM champion.

Feller was one of many first drivers to pit for contemporary tyres, however the Land Audi driver’s cease was a whole catastrophe: first, the wheel nut flew off, then the wheel gun didn’t match correctly. Feller was stationary for almost 15 seconds, dropping far down the order and finally ending solely thirteenth.

Aitken’s cease, one lap later, additionally took barely longer, however the undercut on Wittmann nonetheless labored. Though the BMW driver tried to defend from the charging Ferrari driver, Aitken didn’t let himself be shaken off — even after a slight rear-end contact — and  moved into second place.

However on the entrance, Rast was untouchable, the Schubert crew delivering yet one more excellent pit cease in 5.8 seconds, permitting the three-time DTM champion not solely to defend his lead however even prolong it within the laps following the tyre change.

RIn the top, he crossed the end line with a transparent 3.5-second lead over his teammate Wittmann, who benefitted from the unlucky mistake by Aitken on the ultimate lap.

This implies there’s a change on the high of the drivers’ standings within the DTM. BMW driver Rast now leads on 157 factors, whereas earlier chief Lucas Auer (155 factors) has dropped to second place. Jordan Pepper (154 factors) is in third.

Auer misplaced the championship result in Rast after ending solely twelfth on Saturday.

The second DTM race begins on Sunday on the common time of 1:30 p.m. Within the morning qualifying session (from 9:15 a.m.), the beginning positions will first be decided, with rain showers anticipated within the morning. 

Race outcomes: