DTM: Lucas Auer announces victory, Liam Lawson extends lead

Lucas Auer’s satisfaction was clear to see. Finally the nephew of DTM boss Gerhard Berger was able to set another highlight. A splash of color in what was for him a rather gray and dreary DTM season: Auer drove confidently from pole position to his first win of the season in the twelfth race in Assen on Sunday. So the Austrian finally has a reason to laugh again in the DTM. Also because a week ago he announced that he was dissatisfied with his season and that he finally wanted to win races again.

No sooner said than done, you might think, a victory with an announcement. “Maybe I have to talk more about the fact that I want to win races,” he laughed: “But it was just a great day. Start, strategy, pit stop: it was just perfect,” said Auer.

Berger increased the pressure

He can’t exactly explain his comeback at the top of the podium. “If I had known beforehand what to do differently, I would have done it,” he said. The Winward team also plays a role. “It shows how good the team is, how well we work together. I was able to help with some of my experience, but I was able to learn more from them because of the GT3 cars.” But it is too late to catch up, Auer is seventh overall after the sixth DTM victory of his career, the 26-year-old has 96 points on the account. Too little for the title fight.

Lucas Auer celebrates his first win of the season.

The four drivers continue to make up among themselves, with advantages for Liam Lawson. Because the AF Corse driver extended his lead as overall leader by placing second behind Auer, the New Zealander has 175 points four races to go. The title competition is on his heels.

Marco Wittmann also finished third on the podium, the Walkenhorst driver is Lawson’s first pursuer with 165 points. Third overall is Kelvin van der Linde (Abt-Audi), he was fourth behind Wittmann and now has 160 points. Maximilian Götz has to tear something down in the title four-way battle. The HRT driver was only sixth, he has 155 points.

The four-way battle for the title comes to a head

Wittmann continues to bet on the Konstanz card, he is the only driver in the field who has always been able to score. “Now it depends on who makes the best of the last four races. Hockenheim will be tight between all drivers and brands. At the Norisring there is a question mark because there has never been a GT3 race there. It will depend on Constance again , This is how I approach the last races. Anything is possible, “said Wittmann.

Van der Linde, who announced a hot final spurt, sees it that way: “At the Norisring, the parts will fly”. And Götz? He admitted: “We had to give up, it was no longer possible, you have to accept that. But I don’t stress myself, because everything is still possible.”

DTM in Assen
2nd race:

Driver ranking, status after 12 of 16 races:

Manufacturer rating, status after 12 of 16 races:

1. Mercedes 426 pts.
2. Ferrari 279
3. Audi 278
4. BMW 228
5. Lamborghini 44