DTM Zandvoort: Gary Paffett takes pole in Mercedes 1-2-3-4 sweep
DTM series leader Gary Paffett has earned pole position for the first race of the Zandvoort round as Mercedes claimed a 1-2-3-4 in qualifying
Paffett set his time on his first run and, despite setting a purple opening sector on his second set of tyres, he was unable to match his earlier effort on his next attempt.
Paul di Resta lay second at the midway point of the session, but Pascal Wehrlein's second run allowed him to vault the Scot and move onto the front row, 0.060 seconds adrift of Paffett's best.
Di Resta claimed that he was compromised during his outlap on his second set of tyres, and will start third.
Another to improve on the second runs was Lucas Auer, who moved himself up into fourth position.
BMW's leading duo in the standings, Timo Glock and Marco Wittmann, led the Munich manufacturer's charge and will share the third row of the grid.
Audi again looks short of pace compared to its two rivals, but local hero Robin Frijns put his car seventh on the grid ahead of stablemates Nico Muller and Rene Rast.
Completing the top 10 was the BMW of Augusto Farfus.
It was a disastrous session for Edoardo Mortara, who lies second in the championship - he was 15th after the first runs and slumped to 18th and last by the end of the 20 minutes of running.
Qualifying result
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary Paffett | HWA | Mercedes | 1m30.778s |
| 2 | Pascal Wehrlein | HWA | Mercedes | 0.060s |
| 3 | Paul Di Resta | HWA | Mercedes | 0.202s |
| 4 | Lucas Auer | HWA | Mercedes | 0.285s |
| 5 | Timo Glock | RMR | BMW | 0.439s |
| 6 | Marco Wittmann | RMG | BMW | 0.559s |
| 7 | Robin Frijns | Abt | Audi | 0.597s |
| 8 | Nico Muller | Abt | Audi | 0.646s |
| 9 | Rene Rast | Rosberg | Audi | 0.683s |
| 10 | Augusto Farfus | RMG | BMW | 0.691s |
| 11 | Mike Rockenfeller | Phoenix | Audi | 0.699s |
| 12 | Bruno Spengler | RBM | BMW | 0.699s |
| 13 | Philipp Eng | RMR | BMW | 0.704s |
| 14 | Daniel Juncadella | HWA | Mercedes | 0.729s |
| 15 | Joel Eriksson | RBM | BMW | 0.748s |
| 16 | Loic Duval | Phoenix | Audi | 0.845s |
| 17 | Jamie Green | Rosberg | Audi | 0.983s |
| 18 | Edoardo Mortara | HWA | Mercedes | 1.189s |
Struggling Audi doesn't want DTM performance concessions
DTM Zandvoort: Leader Gary Paffett wins over chasing Mercedes pack
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