ZANDVOORT, The Netherlands — Matteo Cairoli (Emil Frey Racing) has arrived in the DTM and showed top form on Friday at the Circuit Zandvoort.
In the first free practice session, the newcomer from Italy set the fastest lap with 1:34.289 minutes, and in the second session in the afternoon, the Ferrari driver was the only driver to break the 1:34.000-minute mark with a time of 1:33.803 minutes.
“I always enjoy coming to Zandvoort; the track is simply fantastic. The car feels significantly better than at the season opener. We’ve made a big step forward, especially with the balance. That makes me optimistic for the weekend. We want to start as far forward as possible in both races, and then maybe even a podium finish is possible,” explained Cairoli.
Ben Dörr (Butzbach/Dörr Motorsport) also made a strong start to the second DTM weekend, posting the second-fastest time.
“Our focus in free practice was less on experimenting with the setup and more on getting plenty of track time. Toward the end, I put in several fast laps on fresh tires to prepare as best as possible for qualifying. I feel well-prepared for the weekend and am optimistic that we can be in the mix at the front,” said a determined Dörr.
Thomas Preining (Austria/Manthey) finished free practice in third place in his Porsche 911 GT3 R. Mirko Bortolotti (Italy/TGI Team by GRT) showed a marked improvement compared to the opening round in Spielberg, Austria, and was the fourth-fastest driver in his new Lamborghini Temerario GT3.
Ricardo Feller (CH/Manthey) steered the second 911 from Team Manthey to fifth position, while frontrunner Maro Engel (Monaco/Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol) underlined his current good form by finishing sixth after his victory at the ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring.
Brilliant sunshine and temperatures reaching 25 degrees Celsius accompanied the field on Friday during free practice at the Formula 1 circuit in the Netherlands.
While most drivers tested various car settings in the first session, they switched to qualifying mode at the end of the second session in the afternoon and set top times. Cairoli achieved the fastest time late in his 15th lap, while Dörr moved up to second place on his final lap.
