Tiemann steps in for injured Maylander (updated)
DTM refugee Marcel Tiemann has been drafted in to the Eschmann Mercedes squad at Oschersleben after regular driver Bernd Maylander fractured a heel bone in a bizarre wall-vaulting accident
Maylander fell and broke the bone when jumping over a low wall on the way back to his hotel at the circuit. The 29-year-old German was immediately air-lifted to Austria for an emergency operation, but will now also miss out on his other role of FIA Safety Car driver at next weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.
"It was very bad luck for Bernd," said Mercedes sports boss Norbert Haug. "he wanted to take the short cut into the hotel and the next thing..."
Tiemann, who drove for Mercedes in the 2000 DTM, had taken a seat with Zakspeed's V8-Star team when plans for him to compete in the US-based FedEx CART Series fell through due to lack of sponsorship.
Coming in at the deep end, his first run in the car was Saturday's single 45-minute qualifying session, where he set the 15th fastest time.
"We called him, but his voice mail was on," said Haug. "He was probably watching the Champ Car race in Japan. So we got him through his father and he drove down from Hamburg. He made no mistakes in qualifying and did a very good job."
Haug said he was hoping that Maylander would make a quick recovery, but confirmed that an initial diagnosis put him on the sidelines for anything up to eight weeks.
Tiemann makes it two new drivers in Merc's 10-car fleet at Oschersleben. Formula 3000 driver David Saelens has replaced Pedro Lamy at Team Rosberg after the Portuguese driver quit the team after the Nurburgring round a fortnight ago.
Previous article
Saturday practice: Aiello stretches advantage
Next article
Qualifying: Fassler takes first ever DTM pole
DTM: Round 4 - Nurburgring Race 2 highlights
DTM: Round 4 - Nurburgring Race 1 highlights
DTM: Zolder Race 2 highlights
DTM: Round 1 - Zolder Race 1 highlights
Round 2: Lausitzring - Race 2 Highlights
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
Why Albon has his work cut out in the new-look DTM
The DTM moves into its bold new GT3 era with welcome support from Red Bull, which enters two AF Corse-run Ferraris. That includes one for ex-F1 driver Alex Albon, who’s determined to make a success of his GT switch - but he knows it won't be easy...
The slow-burner threatening to unseat Audi's DTM king
It's taken him a while to emerge as a consistent title challenger, but in the final year of DTM's Class One rule set, Nico Muller has smoothed the rough edges and has double champion stablemate Rene Rast working harder than ever to keep up in the title race
How a DTM failure became an unlikely Nurburgring conqueror
Opel's fortunes in the DTM had taken a turn for the worst by 2003 - hardly the pedigree that suggested it could take on the toughest 24-hour race of them all. But that's exactly what it did
The season that revitalised a sleeping giant
On the 20th anniversary of the resumption of hostilities in the DTM, Autosport revisits a classic season that brought a staple of German motorsport back to life with a bang and set in motion the careers of some notable names
Does 2000 hold the answers to DTM's current crisis?
It's 20 years since the DTM roared back into life at a packed Hockenheim with a back-to-basics approach as the antidote to its high-tech past. Now it's on its knees again, so is it time to recall the lessons learned in 2000?
