Spengler on pole, Scheider only 16th
Bruno Spengler led a Mercedes one-two in DTM qualifying at Dijon, as the championship fight was blown wide open with leader Timo Scheider down in 16th
Paul di Resta backed his team-mate up in the crucial fourth segment of qualifying to complete the lockout, while the Audis of Tom Kristensen and Mattias Ekstrom had to settle for row two.
The session took place with drizzle in the air, leading to constantly changing track conditions in each of the four segments.
That caught out several drivers through qualifying, but Scheider was the most-high profile to struggle as he battled a wet set-up on a dry track at the end of Q1.
With the Audi driver out of action early on it was a golden opportunity for Ekstrom and Gary Paffett to get up front and have a chance of prolonging the title fight beyond this weekend, but neither was able to grab top spot.
While Ekstrom (who is 12 points back) at least did enough to make the pole shoot-out, Paffett (14 adrift) missed the best of the track conditions in Q3 and could manage no better than eighth.
Mercedes appeared to be in a very strong position heading into Q3, with only two Audis getting into the top eight. However, Ekstrom and Kristensen made sure that two Audis also made it into the top four, minimising the damage.
Maro Engel and Ralf Schumacher were initially on course to make Q4 before Spengler and di Resta snuck in at the end, but the pair will line up together on the third row with each taking the best qualifying performance of their DTM careers.
Jamie Green had starred in the first two segments in his 2008-spec C-class, but after struggling like Paffett in Q3 he will line up just ahead of his countryman in seventh.
Pos Driver Car Time 1. Bruno Spengler Mercedes 1m19.914s 2. Paul di Resta Mercedes 1m20.446s 3. Tom Kristensen Audi 1m20.908s 4. Mattias Ekstrom Audi 1m21.149s 5. Maro Engel Mercedes 1m21.666s 6. Ralf Schumacher Mercedes 1m21.768s 7. Jamie Green Mercedes 1m22.152s 8. Gary Paffett Mercedes 1m22.312s 9. Martin Tomczyk Audi 1m10.224s 10. Oliver Jarvis Audi 1m10.240s 11. Mathias Lauda Mercedes 1m10.252s 12. Alexandre Premat Audi 1m10.371s 13. Susie Stoddart Mercedes 1m10.477s 14. Markus Winkelhock Audi 1m10.564s 15. Mike Rockenfeller Audi 1m10.998s 16. Timo Scheider Audi 1m11.195s 17. Katherine Legge Audi 1m11.702s 18. Tomas Kostka Audi 1m12.140s 19. Johannes Seidlitz Audi 1m12.767s 20. Christian Bakkerud Audi
Kristensen leads drying Dijon practice
Paffett win keeps title hopes alive
Ellis named as replacement for injured Auer in Bathurst 12 Hour
DTM race-winner Philip Ellis will make his Bathurst 12 Hour debut this week as a stand-in for the injured Lucas Auer.
Winning MSR Acura "super lucky" with Daytona 24 gearbox scare
The Meyer Shank Racing Acura team was "super lucky" to win the Daytona 24 Hours despite its malfunctioning gearbox for most of the race, according to team boss Michael Shank.
Bourdais “surprised” Cadillac was beaten on pace in Daytona 24 Hours
Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac driver Sebastien Bourdais said he was surprised that the victorious Acura ARX-06 outperformed his new V-LMDh in the Daytona 24 Hours IMSA SportsCar Championship season opener.
Daytona 24: MSR Acura opens GTP era with win, Proton snatches LMP2 by 0.016s
Meyer Shank Racing scored its second consecutive victory in the Daytona 24 Hours in the first race for the IMSA SportsCar Championship's new GTP regulations, leading an Acura 1-2 finish.
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
Nyck de Vries’s Italian GP exploits weren’t the first post-eleventh-hour call-up in motorsport history, and won’t be the last either. Here are some offbeat tales from the past
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
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.