Marco Wittmann strengthened his late-season DTM title challenge with victory in the opening race at the Sachsenring, holding off a determined attack from Jules Gounon to take his second win of the season.
The two-time DTM champion, carrying 20kg of success ballast in his #11 Schubert Motorsport BMW, resisted sustained pressure from the Mercedes-AMG driver during the closing stages to claim victory. Thomas Preining completed the podium in the #91 Manthey Porsche, a result that allowed the Austrian to extend his championship lead by a further six points.
Wittmann made the perfect getaway from pole position and led the field into Turn 1, with Gounon immediately slotting the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER into second.
Kelvin van der Linde made an excellent start in the second Schubert BMW, moving up to third, while Preining endured the opposite fate. Starting from the front row, the championship leader lost several positions through the opening corner.
The early stages were interrupted when Bastian Buus and Marco Mapelli came together. The #29 Land-Motorsport Porsche ended up in the gravel, while Mapelli spun the #10 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini but was able to continue.
The incident brought out the Safety Car while Buus was recovered from the gravel. The Porsche was eventually returned to the circuit, although only after dropping to the back of the field.
At the restart, Wittmann retained the lead ahead of Gounon and van der Linde, while further back Tom Kalender and Nicki Thiim became involved in a battle of their own. Contact between the #84 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf and Thiim’s #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin was investigated by the stewards, with Thiim subsequently ordered to hand the position back to Kalender.
Once the race settled down, Gounon began to apply increasing pressure at the front. The Frenchman consistently found time and gradually reduced the gap to Wittmann, while simultaneously pulling clear of van der Linde.
The pit window then changed the complexion of the race.
Preining gained ground during the stops, emerging ahead of van der Linde after the South African had pitted a lap earlier. The Manthey Porsche driver was able to make the most of his warmer tyres and successfully held off the BMW.
At the front, however, Gounon emerged from the pit lane ahead of Wittmann and suddenly found himself with a genuine opportunity to claim his first DTM victory.
A Short Lived Advantage
Wittmann closed rapidly and, by the end of the lap, was back on Gounon’s rear bumper. The BMW driver launched his attack through the opening corners and managed to force his way past despite a strong defensive effort from the Mercedes-AMG.
With the lead regained, Wittmann immediately came under pressure once again as Gounon refused to give up. Preining had also closed onto the leading pair after dropping van der Linde, but the Porsche driver was unable to match the pace of the two cars ahead.
The final laps became a straight fight between Wittmann and Gounon, with the Mercedes-AMG driver searching for an opportunity to retake the lead and secure his maiden DTM victory.
Wittmann Has The Answer
Despite carrying the additional 20kg of success ballast, the Schubert driver absorbed everything Gounon could throw at him and maintained his composure through the closing laps to secure a hard-fought victory.
Gounon was forced to settle for second, while Preining’s third place proved particularly valuable in the championship battle. The Austrian’s latest podium finish extends his advantage by six points and provides further momentum heading into the second Sachsenring race.
For Wittmann, meanwhile, the victory confirms that his championship challenge is far from over, with the experienced BMW driver emerging as a genuine late-season threat.
Race two takes place at 12:30 local time on Sunday with qualifying getting underway at 08:55.
