Joel Eriksson claims maiden DTM win, Alex Zanardi a sensational fifth

Joel Eriksson

Rookie driver Joel Eriksson took a maiden DTM victory under lights at Misano, beating Edoardo Mortara to the checkered flag in what was a tumultuous 14th race of the 2018 season.

Starting from the sixth row of the grid alongside Pascal Wehrlein down in 12th place, Eriksson gambled with his race strategy as the only driver in the field of 19 opting for slick tires on a damp racing surface.

Struggling at the race start, the Swedish driver dropped down to 18th in the running order, however, slowly fought through the field as the rest of the pack followed his strategy call suit, switching to slick tires.

With track conditions deteriorating, Eriksson switched to full rain tires at the perfect moment after extending his opening stint while the remainder of the field pitted once more, again switching onto wet rubber.

As the only driver on the lead lap to have made his mandatory stop, Eriksson effectively gained a free pit stop when a spinning Lucas Auer caused the safety car to be deployed.

This safety car allowed Eriksson to build up an early advantage over the rest of the field, going on to take an unexpected victory in the popular touring car series, beating HWA's Mortara to the checkered flag by 1.817s while Rene Rast finished in third place, standing on the final step of the podium.

Robin Frijns finished in fourth place, 16.879s behind Eriksson.

Alex Zanardi an amazing 5th

While Eriksson's victory marked a key story from Misano, guest driver Alex Zanardi also enjoyed an impressive outing at the Italian circuit, finishing in fifth place behind the wheel of a specially modified BMW M4 DTM machine.

"In some parts of the race, my speed was okay, but I was worried as I didn’t want to get into the way of anyone," said a jubilant Zanardi post-race.

"Thanks to the DTM family for welcoming me as a 51-year-old rookie in an incomparable way. I can hardly wait to go and have a beer and celebrate with my team now."

A sixth place finish for Paul di Resta allowed the driver to take the lead in the Drivers' Championship, snatching the top spot from fellow Mercedes-backed competitor Gary Paffett who again failed to score points in the 31-lap race.

Loic Duval finished in seventh place for Audi Sport Team Phoenix and was followed by Jamie Green, Mike Rockenfeller and Nico Muller who completed the top 10.

The DTM series will return from September 7-9 for races 15 and 16 of the 2018 campaign, with di Resta now holding a new-found lead in the Drivers' Standings, holding first place with 186 points while long-term championship leader Paffett now trails in second, nine points adrift of the Scotsman.