DTM: Rast wins for 7th time in 2019

Rene Rast takes the checkered flag

Rene Rast began the final weekend of the DTM with a masterful performance: The Champion won Saturday’s race at the Hockenheimring from pole position. Having scored the maximum number of points, he secured the teams’ championship for Audi Sport Team Rosberg ahead of the last race. His seventh victory this season also marked the 50th success of the Audi RS 5 DTM.

Under the eye of Audi’s Management Board Member for Development Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler, Rast achieved another perfect day on Saturday. On a rain-wet track in the morning, he secured pole position for the eighth time this year.

In the race, Rast immediately took the lead on a dry track. Following his pit stop, he only had to briefly let BMW driver Marco Wittmann pass him before successfully countering and bringing home victory in commanding style. After crossing the finish line, Rast exuberantly celebrated the 17th win in total in his career with donuts and also flung his racing shoes toward the audience after the race.

Jenson Button in 9th was highest finished SuperGT car

“That was an outstanding race," said Rast. “In qualifying, our timing was perfect. Even though I had two cars in front of me on the last lap I was able to clinch pole position. In the race, Marco came very close to me at times. We had a nice battle for some laps but in the end I was clearly faster and won the race – a fantastic feeling!"

Among the first to congratulate him after the race were team founder Keke Rosberg and his son, Nico. The two Formula One World Champions were delighted about the early win of the DTM teams’ championship, marking the second teams’ title for Audi Sport Team Rosberg after 2017.
Mike Rockenfeller from Audi Sport Team Phoenix in third position completed another double-podium for Audi. “It was a nice race but I was struggling a little with my tires and wasn’t able to quite keep pace with Rene and Marco," said “Rocky."

With Robin Frijns from Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline in fourth position and Rockenfeller’s teammate Loic Duval in fifth, a total of four Audi drivers finished Saturday’s race in the top five.

Victory for Rast, title for Rosberg – decision in the teams’ championship

The outcome of the duel between between Rast and Wittmann also indirectly contributed to the early title win for Audi Sport Team Rosberg in the teams’ championship. Rast’s victory earned him 28 points for Rosberg, as opposed to the 12 points Robin Frijns (NED) pocketed for Audi Sport Abt Sportsline. With Jamie Green (GBR) and Nico Muller (SUI) failing to score, Rosberg’s margin increased to 48 points – the exact number of team points on offer tomorrow. However, Rosberg sealed the title by virtue of having scored eight wins this year compared to Abt’s two.

Quotes

“Winning is always a special moment, and securing the teams’ title is the icing on the cake. I’m really happy for the whole team. Together, we’ve put so much effort into this project – endless hours and days. Claiming victory was not as easy as it might have looked from the outside: Marco really had a good first stint and applied a lot of pressure."

Rene Rast, winner

“So far, the entire weekend has gone well. The Safety Car didn’t work in our favor after a good first stint. I overtook Rocky and closed up to Rene; we tried the undercut by stopping earlier than Rene and it would have worked out – however, the Safety Car came out on track at completely the wrong time. After that, I only had one real chance to make a move, which I did – but it was more for the show! Rene countered with DRS. We started this season with a win; now we’ll try everything tomorrow to end it with a win, too."

Marco Wittmann, 2^nd place

“My start wasn’t great, but it was good. I was able to overtake Marco on the opening lap and close up to Rene. But today, Rene and Marco simply had a better pace than us. When Marco had overtaken me again, I had to let him go as my tires were degrading. During my second stint, the Safety Car came out and I was pleased that we had made our pit-stop already. After that, I just brought the car home."

Mike Rockenfeller, 3^rd place

“I only lost one place at the start. However, without DRS, keeping up was difficult. Only once I’d found a rhythm was I able to counter. On the other hand, I should have been friendlier to the tires. I was also rather too late with my stop. On top of that, our stop was rather long – the guys aren’t used to pit-stops like these, so we lost some time. After the restart, I worked my way up from 15^th to ninth place and that was a lot of fun."

Jenson Button, 9^th place

Race 1 Results