DTM Zandvoort: Gary Paffett extends advantage with race two pole
DTM points leader Gary Paffett continued his strong run of form by comfortably topping Sunday's qualifying session at Zandvoort
The Mercedes driver thoroughly dominated the session en route to his second pole position of the weekend, having converted first place on the grid into victory on Saturday.
Paffett logged comfortably the best effort of the weekend with his very first flying lap in the 20-minute session, a 1m30.225s putting him almost half a second clear of his nearest rival, BMW's Philipp Eng.
His advantage held until the second runs, and while Paffett himself was unable to improve, his pole came under no threat.
Eng's initial effort was good enough to keep him on the front row, although Audi's defending champion Rene Rast came within half a tenth of demoting the Austrian.
Rast had not set a representative time on his first run but shot up the order late on, his effort meaning that the top three on the grid will feature all three of DTM's manufacturers for the first time in 2018.
Pascal Wehrlein was fourth, having had a trip through the gravel at the Tarzan left-hander after setting his best laptime early on, while Mercedes stablemate Paul di Resta slotted in behind in fifth place.
Mike Rockenfeller made it two Audis in the top six, ahead of BMW duo Bruno Spengler and Augusto Farfus and Mercedes pair Edoardo Mortara and Lucas Auer.
Joel Eriksson, who struck the barriers with his BMW after going off in Sunday morning practice, made it out of the pits with five minutes to spare in qualifying, and took 14th place.
He was three spots ahead of Timo Glock, BMW's lead driver in the points standings.
Audi's Robin Frijns had also hit trouble in FP3, pulling over to the side of the road with what Audi believed was an electrical issue.
He headed out for an initial run in qualifying, but did not emerge for a second time and finished last.
Qualifying result
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary Paffett | HWA | Mercedes | 1m30.225s |
| 2 | Philipp Eng | RMR | BMW | 0.446s |
| 3 | Rene Rast | Rosberg | Audi | 0.491s |
| 4 | Pascal Wehrlein | HWA | Mercedes | 0.549s |
| 5 | Paul Di Resta | HWA | Mercedes | 0.585s |
| 6 | Mike Rockenfeller | Phoenix | Audi | 0.651s |
| 7 | Bruno Spengler | RBM | BMW | 0.683s |
| 8 | Augusto Farfus | RMG | BMW | 0.717s |
| 9 | Edoardo Mortara | HWA | Mercedes | 0.719s |
| 10 | Lucas Auer | HWA | Mercedes | 0.723s |
| 11 | Daniel Juncadella | HWA | Mercedes | 0.729s |
| 12 | Marco Wittmann | RMG | BMW | 0.730s |
| 13 | Loic Duval | Phoenix | Audi | 0.767s |
| 14 | Joel Eriksson | RBM | BMW | 0.844s |
| 15 | Jamie Green | Rosberg | Audi | 0.870s |
| 16 | Nico Muller | Abt | Audi | 0.880s |
| 17 | Timo Glock | RMR | BMW | 1.008s |
| 18 | Robin Frijns | Abt | Audi | 1.303s |
DTM Zandvoort: Leader Gary Paffett wins over chasing Mercedes pack
Audi ends 2018 DTM winless run with Rene Rast's Zandvoort victory
The longest-serving Red Bull driver revealing F1’s true brutality
His day of days in Formula 1 came at Indianapolis in 2005, a day grand prix racing strives to forget. But Patrick Friesacher, the long-serving Red Bull lieutenant, remains active today driving a two-seater that provides ordinary people with a glimpse of an F1 car’s savage potential, including this writer...
How the DTM has come back stronger from its Norisring nadir
OPINION: Questionable driving standards and farcical team orders meant the DTM's first season under GT3 regulations ended under a cloud. But the organisation has responded firmly by banning team orders and welcomed new manufacturers, making for an intriguing season ahead as new and returning names prepare for battle
The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics
Over two decades as a factory driver with Audi and BMW, Martin Tomczyk earned the respect of team-mates and rivals as a hard but fair racer. After calling time on his racing career, the 2011 DTM champion sat down with Autosport to look back
The other Hamilton conqueror seeking career revival
On his rise through the ranks before reaching Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton was usually a cut above the rest. But he never truly asserted himself over a Mercedes-backed fellow Briton who traded single-seaters for touring cars and is now seeking new opportunities after a year largely spent on the sidelines
How the DTM's shambolic finale poses awkward future questions
OPINION: The scenes at the Norisring as Mercedes used blatant team orders to secure the first DTM title of the new GT3 era totally undermined the credibility of the championship. But as well as overshadowing the season, it also presents uncomfortable questions to series bosses about the direction it is headed in
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