Audi Sport has 4 match points ahead of the final round of this years DTM at Hockenheim, starting today.
In a turbulent season, Mattias Ekström has been the best at keeping out of trouble, even when he started down the field. That has given him so much credit, that he currently holds a 21 points lead over teammate Rene Rast.
Rast is doing his first full season in DTM, after being a substitute for a few rounds last year, and he emerged as the fastest Audi driver of all, as well as leading the Championship earlier in the season. Rast, however, has been in a lot of turbulence over the last few races. Sometimes it was due to his own errors, sticking his front bumper into gaps that wasn’t there, while other times he has been unlucky to be driven off the circuit or getting a puncture or such like, sending him out of the points.
Jamie Green is a further 14 points behind, in a season where the Brit has taken two victories, but very early in the season was deemed third driver behind Ekström and Rast. Green has been a good position a few times, and then had to give it up. One win that he for sure didn’t give up, was the Sunday race at Red Bull Ring. He was leading through all the race, before he had mechanical problems shortly before the chequered flag, and ended up without points. Hadn’t he lost those points, he would have been second in the Championship today.
Photo: JJ Media
Mike Rockenfeller is the last Audi man in Top-4, and is actually equal on points with the best BMW driver, Marco Wittmann. Rockenfeller has had a very mixed season, with a clear low at Norisring, where he was unlucky to break the foot after a crash with Gary Paffett. He was back in the car again at the following race in Moscow and even finished on the podium – with a support place on his foot! The Drivers Title is probably too far away now for the 2013 Champion, but things can quickly change in DTM.
BMW only has Wittmann left in the fight for the Championship, while Mercedes-AMG only has Lucas Auer. Both drivers need to finish at least 10 and 13 points respectively better than Ekström in the Saturday race. Otherwise the title will go to Audi with one of their four drivers.
Audi has had the fastest car through the season, and after the success ballast in the BOP has been removed, the cars from Ingolstadt were utterly dominant at Red Bull Ring in Austria.
The same thing is likely to happen again this weekend, if the weather isn’t going to play its part. At the moment there isn’t a hint of rain on the forecast, but sun and above 20 degrees.
So it’s likely that Audi Sport can raise their arms in both Drivers-, Constructors- and the Teams Championship already on Saturday afternoon.
But nothing is decided in the Championship, until the very final race of the year is run this Sunday. Stay tuned here for all the news throughout the weekend.
