Engel captured pole position for the Sunday DTM race at the Sachsenring after setting an early wet-weather benchmark that caught his championship rivals out.
The Winward Racing driver executed his setup window flawlessly, producing a blistering 1:26.307 early in the morning session on wet tyres. Track conditions stagnated as the qualifying period progressed despite no further rain, leaving later runners unable to challenge the leading time. The dominant result earned three bonus points, slashing the driver’s championship deficit to Thomas Preining to just three points. The Manthey Porsche points leader could only qualify sixth.
Marco Wittmann suffered a severe championship setback for Schubert Motorsport. After claiming a shock pole position on Saturday and converting it into a race victory, the two-time champion slumped to 19th on Sunday. His BMW completely struggled to bring the tyres into their operating window. Nicki Thiim fared even worse for Comtoyou Racing, qualifying 20th following an eventful Saturday race. The Aston Martin driver had received an official warning for intentionally nudging Tom Kalender off the racing line.
Gounon Pledges Tactical Race Support
Jules Gounon secured third on the grid for Winward Racing, finishing directly behind Manthey Porsche driver Ricardo Feller. Gounon strategically waited until the closing stages to set his lap. The alternative tactical approach successfully placed him ahead of the main title challengers.
The Frenchman immediately pledged to back his Mercedes-AMG team-mate during the race. “I’m going to try to help him. He’s fighting for the championship and I’ll try to help Mercedes AMG also and do a good race,” Gounon told motorsport.com.
The complex two-stop Sunday afternoon race will critically shape the DTM championship standings before the season finale at Hockenheim.
