Edoardo Mortara has made up valuable ground in the race for the DTM title. The Audi driver won the first of two races at the Hungaroring on Saturday and now trails championship leader Marco Wittmann (BMW), who finished seventh, by just 14 points. The race tyres provided by premium tyre maker Hankook coped superbly with the challenges of the winding 4.381-kilometre track, impressing from the opening lap to the last.Budapest/Hungary, 24th September 2016
The title race in what is probably the most popular international touring car series is coming to a head. Edoardo Mortara (Audi) underlined his DTM title ambitions, leading from start to finish to claim a dominant win in the fourth-from-last race of the 2016 season at the Hungaroring. The pole setter crossed the finish line first after 26 laps of racing on Saturday. Win number four of the season sees the Swiss driver close to within 14 points of Marco Wittmann at the top of the table.
Mortara was followed over the line by fellow Audi driver Jamie Green, who is third in the Drivers’ Championship and still in with a chance of winning the title. The final podium position went to Miguel Molina, another Audi driver. It was a case of damage limitation for championship leader Marco Wittmann. The BMW driver started the race from tenth on the grid. However, he took a big risk in turn one, braking late and making up three positions in one go. Seventh place, which earned him six points, made the 26-year-old the best-placed BMW driver. The pick of the Mercedes-Benz drivers was Felix Rosenqvist in eighth. Tenth place for fellow Mercedes-Benz man Robert Wickens means he now trails Wittmann by 55 points and has only a slim chance of winning the title.
Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe: “That was a very strong display from Audi, spearheaded by Edoardo Mortara. However, Marco Wittmann also produced an impressive display, particularly with his sensational overtaking manoeuvre in turn one. Everyone starts from scratch again on Sunday, particularly because of the mandatory pit stop. There are still 75 points up for grabs in the championship battle, which means that the title race is guaranteed to be decided in Hockenheim. Fans can look forward to a thrilling finale there.”
Edoardo Mortara (Audi): “This circuit is very tough for the Hankook race tyres. However, we had a perfect set-up and chose the correct tyre pressures. I am very happy with our performance and hope that we will be out in front again in tomorrow’s race.”
Jamie Green (Audi): “The front tyres, in particular, are put under quite a bit of strain at this circuit, with its many corners. 40 minutes without a pit stop was a big challenge for the Hankook Slick. However, we had no problems and everything ran perfectly.”
Marco Wittmann (BMW): “We simply did not have a chance again the Audis. They were extremely dominant. I got the maximum possible out of qualifying and the race, and drove a consistent race without any incidents. I could not have done more.”
