Historic UK result

The Audi DTM (German Touring Car Masters) teams hit an even higher gear over the weekend, ending the Brands Hatch round of the DTM with a clean sweep in qualifying and the race to strengthen the lead in all three DTM championships – Drivers’, Teams’ and manufacturers’.

Saturday’s race saw some touches of brilliance after frustrating qualifying, with René Rast just missing another win to finish in second and Nico Müller charging from eighth on the grid to finish  third. Robin Frijns and Loïc Duval were home in fourth and fifth respectively and the result was perhaps a portent of what was to come the next day.

It was Sunday’s racing that saw the Audi RS 5 DTMs completely dominate from start to finish.

The historic Brands Hatch circuit was a fitting venue, with thousands of hardened race fans turning out to watch the performance, which started with eight Audis filling the top eight spots on the starting grid.

This extraordinary achievement of one manufacturer so dominating DTM qualifying has only been achieved once before, and again it was Audi, in 2016 in Budapest. 

The stage was set for a big race, but as Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass summed up at the end of the weekend, nothing is ever certain in motorsport.

“For Audi, it was truly a ‘Super Sunday’. It started with the top eight spots in qualifying. In a situation like this, you always worry that you can only lose in the race.”

But the Audi teams were interested only in success and went on to deliver a masterclass in driving and race strategy, recording the first ever 1-2-3-4 result in the modern, turbo era of the DTM.

Championship leader, René Rast took his fifth season pole position and turned it into another victory – his fourth for the season. Behind him, Nico Müller, consolidated his second place in the standings, with Robin Frijns and Loïc Duval completing the historic result.

Rast was ecstatic after the race, but almost philosophical about his performance:

“Pole position was clearly the key to success today,” Rast said after clinching his 14th DTM victory. 

“My pace in the race was okay, but not superior. Scoring the maximum number of points and clinching victory from pole for the first time this year anyhow is fantastic.” 

Nico Müller again showed his class, starting from sixth on the grid to fight through the field and finish second, string up his position in the drivers’ standing. 

Robin Frijns rounded out the podium and did well to even start the race, having inhaled exhaust fumes the day before because of a defect in his exhaust system and starting Sunday feeling unwell.

The icing on the cake was of course Loïc Duval coming home in fourth position, giving Audi a clean sweep and allowing Audi to score a maximum 76 points in the manufacturers’ championship – the maximum possible in a single race day.

Dieter Gass was obviously thrilled with the performance that continues to build as the season progresses:

“We managed to get four cars to finish in the top four spots. That’s a fantastic result! ‘Thank you’ to all who made this success possible.” 

The DTM will now head to Lausitzring, 100km south of Berlin in a fortnight’s time, where, on the Sunday, the DTM celebrates its 500th race.