Matteo Cairoli captured DTM pole at the Nürburgring, clocking 1:25.345 in Saturday’s qualifying and restoring a front‑row fight for the title.
Qualifying results at the Nürburgring
Running in just under 30 °C, the Emil‑Frey‑Ferrari driver edged out the field but fell short of Mirko Bortolotti’s 2023 record of 1:25.118.
Three‑point gain over the preceding round moved Cairoli to the first pursuer of the leading quartet that is 52 points ahead, and the Italian’s fastest lap raised his pressure on the championship leaders.
“I’m happy, especially because we’ve faced two tough weekends already – it’s nice to return to the top,” Cairoli told ran.de. “We had to correct the car’s set‑up problems that had dated us at the Norisring and Oschersleben.”
European competitors shuffle the order
Thomas Preining, the Manthey Porsche driver, finished 0.036 seconds behind pole in second place, emphasizing that “the track was very strange yesterday” and that he fought balance problems before finding a quick solution during free practice. Preining, now 27 points behind the leaders, noted that a strong start and careful tyre strategy will be key after the long straight into the first corner.
Lucas Auer secured the third slot in the German Marchand’s 0.078 share to take a championship point and level with Nicki Thiim, who was counted as third only because of his two victories. Auer’s third place is a reminder that the season’s title battle remains tight.
Marco Wittmann completed the top five with a 0.105 gap, while Ben Dörr fell to fifth after a 0.179 deficit to Kac. DTM leader Maro Engel, recorded a 0.205 margin, was forced to start with 20 kg success ballast at the circuit – the same penalty imposed on Mirko Bortolotti.
Impacts of the Grasser Team appeal
Grasser’s appeal has been denied, meaning Nickel ziffir with 20‑kg ballast. Engel, who carried the weight and a slight cold, reported the increase in his post‑race reflection: “Now I’m racing with the extra kilos.”
Nicki Thiim, runner‑up, fell to 11th, 0.318 seconds off the pole time, after a disappointing finish at Oschersleben, despite dominating the prior Norisring weekend. Thiim said, “Qualifying went as expected … you can already see where things are headed.”
Lamborghini and Ford line‑ups
From the Lamborghini squad, Abt’s Luca Engstler was 12th, just 0.010 seconds ahead of Grasser’s Bortolotti in 13th. Replaced by Christian Engelhart,2015’s Maximilian Paul cohort ran 15th on the grid.
HRT’s Ford rhythm was out of sync, with Finn Wiebelhaus and Arjun Maini ending in the last row, 12.120 and 42.652 seconds shy of the front, and forced to fire drive‑through penalties for a testing regulation breach.
Key takeaway for the championship
Between the new pole by Cairoli and the ballast adjustments, the grid shift signals that the title showdown is now ever more contested; each front‑row finish will likely hinge on early tyre choices and engineering tweaks.
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