Jack Aitken clinched a sensational win in the second DTM race of the weekend at the Dekra Lausitzring, overcoming fierce competition and late-race drama to secure victory for Emil Frey Racing and Ferrari.

Starting from pole, the British driver dominated the early stages of the race before briefly losing the lead to René Rast (Schubert Motorsport BMW) during the pit stop phase. However, Aitken’s late charge and a daring move in the penultimate lap allowed him to reclaim the top spot and cross the line first in a thrilling finish.

The race kicked off with intense action as Aitken fended off challenges from Thomas Preining and Marco Wittmann into Turn 1. Contact between the trio saw Preining retire immediately, while Wittmann momentarily lost second place to Lucas Auer. Auer, however, was forced wide after a robust defense from Wittmann, sending him tumbling down the order.

Meanwhile, Ben Green’s race ended on the opening lap after his Emil Frey Ferrari was sent into the barriers due to contact, prompting an early reshuffle of the midfield.

Wittmann’s race unraveled further when his BMW developed ABS issues, causing a significant lock-up into Turn 1. After running off track and rejoining in fourth, the problem persisted, eventually relegating him to twelth place and instigated an investigation for an unsafe re-entry.

At the pit window, Aitken led from Rast and Maro Engel, with Thierry Vermeulen and Jordan Pepper close behind.

Rast pitted one lap earlier than Aitken, leveraging warmer tyres and a quicker stop from the Schubert crew (6.3 seconds vs. 9.0 seconds) to snatch the lead from the Ferrari driver. He completed the pass at Turn 11 just moments before the safety car was deployed to clear debris caused by Wittmann’s collision with Morris Schuring.

Rast controlled the restart well and opened up a two-second gap, but Aitken began to reel him back in as the final laps approached.

Championship contender Jules Gounon delivered one of the drives of the day. Starting from 13th on the grid, the Mercedes-AMG driver overtook title rival Lucas Auer and climbed steadily through the field. His determination paid off during the second pit cycle, gaining time on Auer and capitalizing on a mistake from Maro Engel to move into third.

Notably, Gounon’s performance came despite a last-minute brake disc failure before the race, which required a rapid on-grid replacement.

Aitkin made his move at turn 6 on the penultimate lap driving around the outside of the BMW which gave him the inside line through turn 7. With Aitkin away in front, Rast was now under attack by the Mercedes of Gounon. The pair entered the final turn together and it was a drag race to the finish with Rast holding on to second place by little more than a wheel length.

The victory propels Aitken to fifth in the DTM drivers’ standings, while Gounon’s remarkable podium finish narrows the gap to championship leader Lucas Auer to just four points. Auer could only manage ninth after a troubled race.

Final Top 5 – DTM Lausitzring Race 1 Results:

1. Jack Aitken (Emil Frey Racing – Ferrari) – 42 laps
2. René Rast (Schubert Motorsport – BMW) – +0m01.680s
3. Jules Gounon (Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER) – +0m01.725s
4. Jordan Pepper (TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT) – +0m03.638s
5. Maro Engel (Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing) – +0m07.308s

For full DTM Lausitzring Race 2 results and lap times, visit the official DTM results page.

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