DTM paddock split on dropping two-by-two restarts for select tracks

There were widespread calls for greater respect to be shown between drivers after only 11 cars finished the opening race, which was blighted by incidents and preceded an additional drivers’ briefing that was arranged prior to qualifying on Sunday morning.

While Sunday’s second race was cleaner and ran caution-free for its duration, with a consensus reached that drivers would not break out of their two-by-two formation for the race start and any subsequent restarts, many believe that more can be done.

Leading drivers Mirko Bortolotti and Laurens Vanthoor called on the DTM to invest in repeater lights for subsequent races, while others suggested that reverting to single-file starts would be better for certain circuits.

HRT Mercedes driver Arjun Maini, who was eliminated from race one in a Turn 1 pileup, told Autosport that he would welcome a track-by-track approach to utilising double-file restarts in future.

“It makes it more exciting I guess or changes it up a bit, but from a sporting point of view from the drivers’ view, it’s better to have single-file for a track like Norisring,” he said.

“I would prefer it if they have single-file and look at it from a track-by-track basis.

“It is the same for everyone, but at a track like this it’s like a lottery into Turn 1.”

Kelvin van der Linde, Team ABT Sportsline Audi R8 LMS GT3, Maximilian Buhk, Mercedes-AMG Team Mucke Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

When this view was put to race one polesitter Kelvin van der Linde by Autosport, the Abt Audi driver said: “I fully agree on that.

“I think Norisring is a very specific one, especially with 27 cars now going into Turn 1, you have a massive backing-up effect.

“I feel like a restart almost triggers another safety car.”

SSR Performance Porsche driver Vanthoor told Autosport on Sunday that a “healthy balance” was needed moving forward.

“On a track like this with a first corner like this, having these side-by-side restarts brings action, 100%,” said the Belgian.

“Yesterday there were a lot of crashes, but it also delivers a show and opportunities in the race.

“It should be a healthy balance, races like today are not nice races either. Yesterday was too much, today was boring, so it needs to be a healthy mix.

“At one point if you see that for three restarts, it always comes out in a crash, maybe we consider doing a single-file. But that’s up to DTM to come up with those things.”

Autosport understands that the DTM has no intention of tweaking its regulations on a round-by-round basis, with the double-file start set to remain.

Several team bosses acknowledged that double-file restarts are part of the DTM’s appeal in creating an entertaining show, but this needs to be balanced against costs incurred as a result of damage.

Team Rosberg lost both its Audis of Nico Muller and Dev Gore in a first corner pileup on Saturday, with boss Kimmo Limmatainen telling Autosport: “I get both sides, that they want to create a spectacle with the double-file starts.

“I don’t know what’s the solution. I personally think that a single-file would be safer, but okay, for the show, maybe not the best.

“We as teams, we also finance the operations and if people get really hurt with these kinds of things, then I don’t know if it’s good for the whole big picture.

“This is a topic we need to carefully discuss with ITR.”

Winward Mercedes boss Christian Hohenadel told Autosport: “It’s hard to say. I think what makes DTM attractive is for sure a part of this, as long as it’s ending up not like this.

“If want to be a little bit outstanding compared to other series, then it’s really important that we have like the behaviour of the starting grid.”