Nurburgring DTM: Mercedes rookie Lucas Auer takes shock pole

The Formula 3 graduate, whose previous-best grid position of fifth at the Norisring was the only time he had qualified inside the top 10, vaulted to the top of the times with 30 seconds remaining.

Auer's lap of 1m21.915s pipped BMW's Maxime Martin by just 0.084 seconds, as he became the DTM's 12th different polesitter in 2015.

The session was red flagged approaching the halfway mark, following separate crashes for Paul di Resta and Adrien Tambay.

Martin moved to the top after the restart and led Mike Rockenfeller and Daniel Juncadella entering the final five minutes, but the trio sat out the closing stages.

Championship leader Pascal Wehrlein will start third, with his primary challenger Mattias Ekstrom languishing down in 17th, reporting both understeer and oversteer from his Audi.

BMW's Bruno Spengler was fourth, ahead of the best of the Audi drivers, Edoardo Mortara, while another Mercedes rookie in Maximilian Gotz was a career-best sixth.

Jamie Green, Rockenfeller, Juncadella and practice pacesetter Miguel Molina completed the top 10.

With the late schedule change to hold both practice sessions on Friday, qualifying was the first time drivers were on track on Saturday, and di Resta and Tambay came to grief.

On his first flying lap, di Resta lost the rear of his Mercedes on the exit kerb coming onto the long back straight, firing into the tyre barrier on the inside.

Moments later, Tambay went straight on at the Turn 6 hairpin, and his Audi was unable to return to pitlane.

BMW's Martin Tomczyk also failed to set a time following an engine change between events and will join the pair at the rear of the field.

QUALIFYING RESULTS: