Nicki Thiim’s DTM weekend at Oschersleben collapsed when Pirelli swapped front and rear tires, turning his Aston Martin into a balance‑broken weapon.
Front–rear mix‑up shatters grid hopes
During Saturday’s qualifying session the Dane stalled at 19th on the grid despite a recently adjusted Balance of Performance. Aston Martin’s front tires were installed on the rear rims and vice‑versa, creating a mismatch of only one centimeter in width and two centimeters in diameter.
“Pirelli put the front tires on the rear rims – and vice versa,” Thiim later admitted, summarizing the confusion that drenched the weekend.
Technical fallout in qualifying
The erroneous configuration forced the car into a rampant imbalance: a higher rolling circumference on the front axle, non‑matching wheel speeds, and a loss of ABS control. The left‑side sensors recorded speeds several kilometres per hour above those on the right.
These differences triggered a chain reaction; the differential overheated, ultimately failing and requiring replacement. The car was effectively “crooked,” as DTM sporting director Mario Schuhbauer explained.
- Front‐rear width difference of 1 cm.
- Front‑rear diameter difference of 2 cm.
- ABS failure during qualifying.
- Differential breakdown necessitating on‑track repair.
Team reaction and compensation
Despite suspecting a puncture at first, Thiim confirmed the issue was due to tire placement. Although the mechanics had the tires in hand, Schuhbauer acknowledged the mistake fell outside their control, noting the Pirelli system marked tires only by barcode, not by front‑rear designation.
Comtoyou received approval from the technical delegate to replace all four qualifying tires with a clean set before the race, a decision that proved costly in the championship‑wide standings.
Race outcome and championship impact
Thiim recovered to 13th on the grid after a 48‑lap battle, taking advantage of a 6.1‑second pit stop that kept his nerves steady. He earned 0.124 seconds faster than teammate Nicolas Baert and only lost 0.773 seconds to Pole‑pos driver Thomas Preining, achievements attributed to “the crew’s quick handling of the situation,” per Schuhbauer.
The mid‑season champion’s lead evaporated as Maro Engel collected two podiums, leaving Thiim 21 points behind the Winward Mercedes front‑runner. Thorpe’s DTM day, once headed for victory, ended as a punitive study in tire logistics and team accountability.
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