DTM 2015 - Hectic Hockenheim

The start of race 1

The 2015 season started last Sunday at Hockenheim and didn't fail to disappoint, with two great races following the change to the DTM race format. It saw new drivers and even a new team, in the form of ART joining the Mercedes teams, and it saw drama aplenty, with a high speed duel in the dry on Saturday, followed by a rain affected thriller on Sunday.

Race 1

#53 Paul Di Resta (GB, HWA AG, Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM)

On Saturday, Jamie Green took a brilliant pole position for race 1, and then he never looked back, taking his first win in two years and his first win for Audi. Green utterly dominated the event and was never challenged for the 40 minute race, despite there being two safety cars.  Despite his dominance though there was plenty of action behind, and a great duel for 2nd place.

#3 Paul Di Resta (GB, HWA AG, Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM)

Paul Di Resta's return to DTM in 2014 had been largely disappointing, thanks to the awful car Mercedes had built but he did manage to put in a few great drives, and his 2015 season started out just how he would have wanted it with a strong qualifying and race, rewarded with a podium. He passed 2nd place man Pascal Wherlein early on but break issues near the end meant he lost the place but he still held on to third and the scrap between Di Resta and Wherlein was very entertaining.

#12 Daniel Juncadella (ESP, Muecke Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM)

Greens race was made a bit harder thanks to the two safety cars. The first one was for Daniel Juncadella crashing at the Sachs Kurve, the second safety car being for a collision between Gary Paffert, Martin Tomczyk and Lucas Auer. Tomcyzk spun at the hairpin and took both the ART Mercedes out, Paffet saying it was a "stupid" move. Green though was unfazed by all this, and cruised to victory at the front, followed by Wherlien and Di Resta. The full race results are below.

Race 2

The start of race 2

Race 2 was a slightly less straight forward affair, but it ultimately ended with Mattias Ekström taking what in the end was a dominant win, but he had to work hard for it, as he had to pass Marco Wittmann in the opening stages whilst the track was dry, and then Eduardo Mortara in the wet conditions. After that however he made it look relatively easy but once again the action was fast and furious behind, despite the slippery conditions!

#53 Jamie Green, Audi RS5 DTM, #2 Gary Paffett, Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

The most impressive performance of the day, maybe even the weekend, came from Gary Paffet. He started at the back of the grid after being excluded from qualifying, but drove a storming race to finish in 3rd place. He capitalized on an earlier switch to wet tyres and never looked back, showing just how good the Mercedes car was in the wet and also on how improved the manufacturers car is. He couldn't catch Mortara, who was in a race of his own for 2nd but it was a great drive.

Marco Wittmann leads Mike Rockenfeller

 Two drivers who didn't have the race they were hoping for were Mike Rockenfeller and the champion Marco Wittmann. Witmann initially lead but couldn't match the pace of the guys who at first were behind him, eventually finishing a solid but probably disappointing 5th. Rockenfeller had started from pole, after a great final lap in qualifying but by the end of the race he had dropped to 6th place, a disappointing result for the 2013 champion. The full race results are below.

Ekström had left them trailing in his wake, two wins for Audi at the start of the year, a much better start for them as they only managed to win in the last two races of 2014. It leaves the drivers championship looking like this.

A great opening weekend for DTM and its new format. Here's hoping the rest of the season is just as exciting. Until next time folks. Ciao.

All photo's copyright of DTM

#53 Jamie Green (GBR, Audi Sport Team Rosberg, Audi RS 5 DTM)

All images copyright of the DTM Championship