Nicki Thiim’s twin triumphs at Norisring
Nicki Thiim secured Aston Martin’s first DTM victory and defended his pole‑to‑win dominance at the Norisring weekend, taking both races in a flawless performance.
Thiim followed Saturday’s historic win with a Sunday victory, crossing the line in the same Aston Martin, the driver’s team’s first DTM win and putting him firmly at the top of the overall standings with 56 points.
After starting from pole on both days, he managed to fend off the rookie Ford duo of Finn Wiebelhaus and Arjun Maini, who fought hard for a podium but could not breach the lane of the Dane.
Race dynamics and weather challenges
The first race stalled after a collision that scattered debris across the track, forcing a safety car and a subsequent rain shower that brought the event to a halt. Maro Engel was badly damaged, and the Ferrari of Matteo Cairoli earned a penalty for a jump‑start.
When the pit‑stop window opened, no driver switched to wet tyres, taking advantage of the gradually drying surface. A switch to slicks came on the second lap‑stop, with Thiim following Wiebelhaus and regaining the front after the rest of the field had switched.
The strategic pit stops saw the Ford team falter while the Skinace Comtoyou crew out‑paced them, sealing Thiim’s lead even after a series of undercut attempts by the rival.
Championship implications
Thiim’s double win Crowned him as the season’s leading driver with a total of 117 points. Lucas Auer follows with 108 points, and Maro Engel has been pushed down to third place on 105 points after a seventh‑place finish.
Engel highlighted a “tough race” and admitted the mishap at the pit stop cost him positions, conceding the championship lead to the Dane.
Other notable performances
- Arjun Maini – finished fourth behind the two Ford contenders.
- Jules Gounon – joined the podium in fourth place.
- Thierry Vermeulen – took fifth in the Emo‑Frey‑Ferrari.
- Lucas Auer – completed the top three on the first race’s final lap.
- Landau von Peters (Land-Porsche), Thomas Preining (Manthey‑Porsche), Marco Wittmann (Schubert‑BMW) – filled the next spots, boosted by the BoP adjustment.
- Mirko Bortolotti – cemented the eleventh position for Grasser‑Lamborghini.
Only 19 drivers started Sunday after the severe crash that halted Saturday: Maximilian Paul and Kelvin van der Linde missed the event, the former due to leg injuries and the latter because of extensive car damage.
The season will resume on July 24‑26 at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben; Paul’s return remains unlikely, while van der Linde may re‑take the wheel for Schubert’s track‑home event.
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