BMW's 'quite bad' start to 2017 DTM season leaves drivers worried
DTM race winner Maxime Martin admits BMW's start to the 2017 season, with it sitting a distant third behind Mercedes and Audi, "is quite bad"
BMW took Marco Wittmann to the 2014 and '16 drivers' titles, and won the manufacturers' crown in '15, but has only managed 64 points across the first two events compared to 187 for Mercedes and 177 for Audi.
Martin was the first BMW driver home in each race at the Lausitzring last weekend, finishing fourth and eighth and roughly 18 seconds behind the winner each day.
"In the overall picture I am not really happy, it is quite bad," Martin told Autosport.
"We have to work hard to be better, we were expecting a bit better, for sure.
"First BMW is good, but in general it is not really what we are looking for."
The DTM's 2017 overhaul includes softer tyres, but Audi's Mattias Ekstrom was able to pit at the end of the first lap in last Sunday's 43-lap race at the Lausitzring and not only get to the end but also finish second.
Mercedes' Robert Wickens feels Audi has the edge on tyre life, but Martin suggested BMW's issues were even more pronounced.
"We have to work hard to try to improve especially the race pace, that is where we are really lacking, and try to come stronger in the next races," he added.
"Tyre deg for us is for sure higher but in the race from lap one onwards they are just quicker.
"I think it is the way they use the tyre."
Timo Glock is the only BMW in the top 10 of the standings in eighth, having taken a pole position and second-place finish during the Hockenheim season opener.
Both of BMW's 2017 podiums came that weekend, with Wittmann third in the Sunday race.
Tom Blomqvist qualified on the front row for the Sunday Lausitzring race and believes the BMW has potential, but agreed with Martin that race pace is a problem after then crossing the line 17th in the 18-car field.
"For sure there is potential in the car because we can do quick lap times in qualifying, things like that, but we struggle to look after the tyres it seems," he said.
"Far from challenging, nothing seems to be going to plan.
"The race pace is just not good enough so it is proving to be a challenge at the moment.
"We need to regroup and try to understand how we can improve in the next races because at the moment we are not strong enough all around so we've got some work to do."
Previous article
Mercedes DTM outfit has to improve tyre life, Wickens
Next article
Hungaroring DTM: Audi dominates qualifying with Rast on pole
Round 12: Assen - Race Highlights
DTM: Round 4 - Nurburgring Race 2 highlights
DTM: Round 4 - Nurburgring Race 1 highlights
DTM: Zolder Race 2 highlights
DTM: Round 1 - Zolder Race 1 highlights
How Audi's new DTM star is channeling Rast to achieve his "childhood dream"
Having learned the ropes in GT3 alongside Rene Rast, Kelvin van der Linde is in line to take up the three-time champion's baton as Audi's new DTM king. From humble origins in South Africa, it's been a remarkable journey so far for the current series leader, but he knows that the 2021 title is a long way from settled just yet
The number-crunching behind the new-look DTM's equalisation drive
Switching to GT3 regulations marked a fresh start for the DTM in 2021, but it has also drawn a line in the sand against other series using similar cars by engaging AVL Racing to develop a bespoke Balance of Performance system. Here’s how it works
The initial verdict on DTM's move to GT3 cars
OPINION: Facing collapse last year, the DTM has shifted its philosophy from a championship for silhouette-based touring cars to GT machines not too dissimilar to those racing across multiple series worldwide. But despite some initial BoP-based teething troubles, there were some pleasant findings as the 'new DTM' got underway at Monza
Why Albon has his work cut out in the new-look DTM
The DTM moves into its bold new GT3 era with welcome support from Red Bull, which enters two AF Corse-run Ferraris. That includes one for ex-F1 driver Alex Albon, who’s determined to make a success of his GT switch - but he knows it won't be easy...
The slow-burner threatening to unseat Audi's DTM king
It's taken him a while to emerge as a consistent title challenger, but in the final year of DTM's Class One rule set, Nico Muller has smoothed the rough edges and has double champion stablemate Rene Rast working harder than ever to keep up in the title race
How a DTM failure became an unlikely Nurburgring conqueror
Opel's fortunes in the DTM had taken a turn for the worst by 2003 - hardly the pedigree that suggested it could take on the toughest 24-hour race of them all. But that's exactly what it did
The season that revitalised a sleeping giant
On the 20th anniversary of the resumption of hostilities in the DTM, Autosport revisits a classic season that brought a staple of German motorsport back to life with a bang and set in motion the careers of some notable names
Does 2000 hold the answers to DTM's current crisis?
It's 20 years since the DTM roared back into life at a packed Hockenheim with a back-to-basics approach as the antidote to its high-tech past. Now it's on its knees again, so is it time to recall the lessons learned in 2000?
