Molina wins DTM race one at Hockenheim as Mortara storms to third

Mortara went into the race 14 points behind BMW's Marco Wittmann and, with 2014 champion Wittmann being allowed through to second by BMW's poleman Antonio Felix da Costa on the seventh lap, that meant Mortara would need to finish in the top six to take the title to the final race.

Mortara kept his patience and saved DRS, running eighth until lap 15 of the 27-lap race.

Timo Glock, running immediately ahead of the Italian, feinted inside the sister BMW of Augusto Farfus into the Spitzkehre hairpin, only for an opportunist Mortara to outbrake the German ex-Formula 1 driver and move into seventh.

On the next lap, Mortara demoted Farfus on the outside on the approach to Spitzkehre, and was now sixth.

Predictably, Audi veteran Mike Rockenfeller was picked off relatively easily soon afterwards, giving Mortara fifth.

Next it was the BMW of Tom Blomqvist, who was powerless to resist Mortara sweeping past on the run to the hairpin and into fourth.

Finally, with two and a half laps remaining, Mortara used exquisite judgement to spear inside da Costa but not make contact with Wittmann, who was just ahead, as he moved into third.

Molina lost a little bit of ground to Wittmann over the closing laps, raising expectations that he might try to back up the BMW man, but crossed the line 1.6 seconds clear in his Abt Audi.

In turn, Wittmann seemed to have a little in reserve and Mortara finished just over a second behind, leaving the gap at 17 points with 25 on the table on Sunday.

Behind da Costa, Rockenfeller finished fifth, with Audi's Mattias Ekstrom replacement Rene Rast doing an excellent job on his second DTM outing to claim sixth, the newcomer also doing a good job of protecting Mortara during the first half of the race.

Glock was seventh, while Jamie Green was eighth in his Audi, passing the fading Blomqvist on the last lap but not managing to stay in the hunt for what was always going to be a long shot at the championship.

Green had to fight through from 14th on the grid after a qualifying session in which BMW driver Martin Tomczyk was given a grid penalty for impeding the Monaco-based Leicestershire man.

The final point scorer was top Mercedes runner Paul di Resta, despite a collision with Farfus three laps from home that put the BMW driver under a stewards' investigation.

RESULTS - 27 LAPS:

POINTS