Nicki Thiim seized pole at the 2024 DTM Norisring Saturday session, clocking a 48.449‑second lap that eclipsed the field and shattered the previous record of 48.467 set by Jordan Pepper.
Thiim, driving the Comtoyou Aston Martin, added that the tight 12‑second street circuit forced his brakes to operate at “110 percent of their limit” and that he “touched the wall two or three times, but that gives you a bit of a kick.” He also looked forward to keeping the brakes fresh for the full race.
Across the grid, Maro Engel, the Winward Mercedes driver, finished the Group A run with 48.463 seconds. His two points from second place allowed him to leap from third to first in the overall championship standings, pushing Emil Frey Ferrari’s Matteo Cairoli into second.
Starting positions interlace the two qualifying groups. The top four were: 1 – Thiim (Aston Martin), 2 – Engel (Mercedes), 3 – Arjun Maini (Ford Mustang), 4 – Ben Dorr (McLaren). Following them: 5 – Lucas Auer (Mercedes), 6 – Jules Gounon (Winward), 7 – Tom Kalender (Mercedes), 8 – Finn Wiebelhaus (Ford), 15 – Thomas Preining (Porsche), 16 – Ricardo Feller (Porsche), 17 – Kelvin van der Linde (BMW), 20 – Marco Wittmann (BMW).
Both Porsche and BMW found themselves far behind the front pack. Kelvin van der Linde blamed the Balance‑of‑Performance adjustment and said, “We do have an explanation, but I have to say everyone in the team is a bit frustrated right now when you are six‑tenths too slow over just four corners.” He added, “I simply wish for a bit more pace.” He echoed his teammate’s disappointment, noting that Wittmann, a two‑time DTM champion, also struggled to match his own high standards.
A question remains whether BoP will be revisited before Saturday’s race. Thierry’s record‑breaking lap and Engel’s championship shift set the stage for a demanding battle on the notoriously unforgiving Norisring. The teams now face the challenge of translating qualifying speed into race‑day performance while navigating the influence of brake limits and set‑up nuances.
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