KLETTWITZ, Germany — Maro Engel (Monaco/Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol) continues to push the pace. The DTM championship leader was fastest in Friday’s free practice at the Dekra Lausitzring, setting the best time of the day with 1:20.408 minutes.
“The car feels fantastic! After the first free practice session, we optimized a few things on the car’s setup, and it paid off. The Lausitzring is a track that has always suited me. I’m looking forward to the weekend and want to finish on the podium in both races,” said the Mercedes-AMG driver.
His fellow Mercedes driver Lucas Auer (A/Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf), a four-time race winner at the Lausitzring, finished second, a mere 0.002 seconds behind. Arjun Maini (IND/HRT Ford Racing) followed in third.
The Indian driver impressed in his Ford Mustang GT3 with consistently strong lap times, setting the fastest time of 1:20.986 minutes in the first session of the morning.
“It’s always a good feeling to finish a practice session fastest. But the real test will be qualifying on Saturday morning. The weather could be a factor. If we start at the front, I’d prefer it to stay dry. But if we start further back, I wouldn’t mind a wild race in the rain,” Maini revealed.
Porsche works driver Thomas Preining (A/Manthey) steered his 911 to fourth position, Ben Dörr (Butzbach/Dörr Motorsport) confirmed his strong form in fifth place in the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.
Free practice at the Lausitzring on Friday turned into a heat test for the DTM field, with temperatures exceeding 33 degrees Celsius. In the morning, the drivers gathered valuable insights for race setup, particularly during long runs. The afternoon session focused on setting fast lap times from the outset.
After 15 minutes, Engel set the fastest time on his fifth lap, while Auer moved into second place on his eighth. Preining achieved his personal best time shortly before the end, securing fourth position behind Maini.
