ZANDVOORT, The Netherlands — Matteo Cairoli (I/Emil Frey Racing) is simply unstoppable at Zandvoort. After securing first place in qualifying, the Ferrari driver kept his cool in Saturday’s race and clinched his first victory in his third DTM race.
“An incredible feeling! Despite my lead, the last few laps required maximum concentration as the tires degraded quite significantly. I still remember watching the DTM for the first time in 2013. Since then, it has been my big goal to one day race in the series. I am all the more delighted with this victory. I am sure that this success will give us an additional boost for the season,” Cairoli rejoiced.
Lucas Auer (A/Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf) crossed the finish line in second place, 3.6 seconds behind. This means the Austrian has finished on the podium in all three DTM races so far and has taken the lead in the overall standings. Local hero Thierry Vermeulen finished third in the second Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo of Emil Frey Racing in front of his fans.
Polesitter Cairoli showed no nerves at the start on Saturday afternoon at the Dutch Formula 1 circuit and maintained his lead. Auer moved up one position to second place, pushing Vermeulen into third. Behind them followed the strong young driver Bastian Buus (DK/Land-Motorsport) in his Porsche 911 GT3 R and Jules Gounon (F/Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter).
By the time of his mandatory pit stop, Cairoli had extended his lead to over two seconds. He fitted new Pirelli slicks on lap 16 and was the first back on track.
Auer, Vermeulen, Buus, and Gounon, also after successful tire changes, slotted into second through fifth positions. While the gaps between the top three remained roughly the same, a thrilling duel developed behind them between Buus and the relentlessly attacking Gounon.
The 22-year-old Dane, however, remained composed and fended off every attack from his French rival in his 911. After 36 flawless laps, Cairoli crossed the finish line first, ahead of Auer, Vermeulen, Buus, and Gounon.
McLaren driver Ben Dörr (Butzbach/Dörr Motorsport) finished the third DTM race in sixth place. Maro Engel (Monaco/Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol) improved to seventh with a late tire change, but dropped back to second in the standings behind his fellow Mercedes driver Auer.
Porsche factory driver Thomas Preining (Austria/Manthey) secured eighth place, while the best Lamborghini driver was Luca Engstler (Kempten/Red Bull Team Abt) in ninth. Nicki Thiim (Denmark/Comtoyou Racing) completed the top ten in his Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
