Klaus Weber · DTM-Korrespondent
The Schubert driver reversed his practice trend, leaving Preining and Gounon narrowly in his wake.
Marco Wittmann claimed pole position for the DTM weekend at Sachsenring on Saturday (September 12) in the first qualifying session. The Schubert pilot's time of 1:17.627 minutes was 0.126 seconds faster than Thomas Preining and 0.289 seconds quicker than Jules Gounon, who completed the top three. The top three finishers earned maximum session points: three for Wittmann, two for Preining, and one for Gounon.
Schubert Motorsport Reverses the Trend
Wittmann's best time marked a significant improvement over both practice sessions. He qualified twelfth in the first practice with 1:19.071, then improved to third in the second with 1:18.918. In qualifying, he went 1.291 seconds faster still, a jump suggesting the car responded very differently in qualifying trim compared to the race setup used in practice.
Kelvin van der Linde underscored Schubert Motorsport's form with fourth place, after slipping to fourteenth in the second practice. Having both Schubert cars in the top four points to a setup that gained effectiveness throughout the weekend.
Preining and Feller from Manthey EMA had set the fastest lap times in both practices, with Preining first in the first session and second in the second. Preining remained consistently second in qualifying, but his 0.126-second deficit to Wittmann meant no pole.
Feller Falls Back, Tight Midfield
The most striking shift in the field involves Ricardo Feller. Third in the first practice and quickest in the second, the Manthey driver qualified only twelfth, 1.006 seconds behind Wittmann. The drop from the top of practice to the middle of qualifying demonstrates how quickly positions can shift between race and qualifying trim.
Behind him, the field closes considerably. Matteo Cairoli secured sixth as the strongest Emil Frey driver, his teammate Thierry Vermeulen eighth, just 0.256 seconds back. Mirko Bortolotti and Nicki Thiim followed in ninth and tenth, separated by just 0.012 seconds. Across the entire starting grid, the top 15 lay within just over 1.1 seconds, a figure underscoring the field strength this season.
Looking Ahead to Race Day
For the championship, the bonus points awarded to Wittmann, Preining, and Gounon matter most, a small but potentially significant edge in such a tight season. Wittmann enters the first race with a strong pole position, though he'll need to hold his ground against a field that allowed little daylight in qualifying.
Just how close the competition remains should become clear during the race, when tire degradation and pit-stop windows could decide positions across the tight midfield between sixth and fifteenth.
