KLETTWITZ, Germany — Matteo Cairoli (I/Emil Frey Racing) became the first driver to win two races in the DTM season and took over the championship lead after six rounds.
The Italian kept his cool in a sweltering race at the Dekra Lausitzring on Sunday and crossed the finish line first in his Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo after 42 laps.
“This is one of the best wins of my career! Nicki Thiim really made me sweat in the already hot conditions. He put on an incredible amount of pressure in the final laps. My tires were pretty much worn out and the heat was extremely challenging. I really wanted to win and I’m overjoyed,” explained Cairoli.
Nicki Thiim (DK/Comtoyou Racing) finished second, just 0.413 seconds behind, securing Aston Martin’s first podium finish in DTM history.
After 37 years, a Ford driver was back there on Sunday: In his first sixth DTM race, Finn Wiebelhaus (Obertshausen/HRT Ford Racing) finished third, securing the first podium finish for a Ford Mustang GT3 in the DTM.
Cairoli started the sixth DTM championship race at the Lausitzring on Sunday afternoon from second position and was just over a second behind polesitter Arjun Maini (IND/HRT Ford Racing) in his Ford until the first mandatory pit stop. Thiim followed in third place ahead of Wiebelhaus.
The 30-year-old Cairoli made a quick pit stop on lap ten and was able to overtake Maini on lap 13, who was running on still-cold Pirelli slicks after a later tire change. Behind them, Thiim, Wiebelhaus, and Mirko Bortolotti (I/TGI Team by GRT) in his Lamborghini occupied third through fifth positions.
Cairoli defended his lead after his second pit stop, but then had to fend off Thiim, who had moved up to second place and repeatedly attacked.
The driver, who grew up in Como, Italy, kept his composure until the end, made no mistakes, and took over the overall lead after his second DTM victory. Behind Thiim, Wiebelhaus managed to overtake Maini with a spectacular maneuver to secure third place. The Indian driver finished fourth, just ahead of the increasingly impressive Bortolotti, who achieved his best result of the season so far.
Luca Engstler (Kempten/Red Bull Team Abt) finished Sunday’s race in sixth place in another Lamborghini Temerario GT3. Seventh place went to Kelvin van der Linde (ZA/Schubert Motorsport) in a BMW M4 GT3 Evo.
Despite a penalty lap, Maro Engel (Monaco/Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol) secured eighth position and is thus third in the overall standings. Marco Wittmann (Fürth) finished ninth in the second BMW from Schubert Motorsport.
The best Porsche driver was Thomas Preining (Manthey). The Austrian salvaged tenth place with just under a tenth of a second ahead of his compatriot Lucas Auer (A/Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf), who is now second in the drivers’ championship.
