Klaus Weber · DTM-Korrespondent
After claiming the quickest time on Friday, Marco Wittmann missed the top group considerably in the second qualifying session, while Maro Engel put the Winward Mercedes on pole.
Maro Engel claimed pole position for Race 2 at the DTM weekend at the Sachsenring on Sunday with the quickest time in the second qualifying session. The Winward driver posted 1:26.307 minutes, finishing 0.448 seconds ahead of Ricardo Feller (Manthey EMA). Schubert driver Marco Wittmann, who had won both Qualifying 1 and Race 1 the previous day, could only manage 19th place and must contest the second race from the midfield.
Tight front group, Wittmann falls back
Ricardo Feller made significant gains compared to Qualifying 1, where he had finished 12th, taking second place with a 0.448-second deficit to the pole time. Jules Gounon completed Winward Racing's top-three lockout with a 0.755-second gap to the best time, after already running third in Qualifying 1. For Winward, that means two drivers in the top three, a result underscoring the team's consistent pace throughout the weekend.
The session proved considerably more difficult for Marco Wittmann. The Schubert driver had topped Qualifying 1 with 1:17.627 minutes and subsequently won Race 1. In the second qualifying, he managed only 1:28.312 minutes and grid spot 19, 2.005 seconds down on Engel. For the winner of Qualifying 1 and Race 1, this represents a noticeably tougher starting position for Race 2, while challengers like Feller and Bortolotti can attack from positions much further up the grid.
Competitive field deep into the midfield
Between pole position and 18th place, the time spread ultimately came to just 1.898 seconds, indicating a tightly stacked field well into the midfield. Mirko Bortolotti was the fastest GRT Grasser Lamborghini in eighth, while Lucas Auer brought the Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf home ninth, just 0.012 seconds ahead of Luca Engstler in the Abt Lamborghini.
The final three on the time sheet were noticeably further back. Nicki Thiim, who had finished tenth in Qualifying 1, dropped to 20th in Qualifying 2, just over two seconds off the pace. Even further down came Arjun Maini and Finn Wiebelhaus from HRT Ford Performance, meaning they too will start Race 2 from the rear of the grid.
Buus and Paul deliver strong session after difficult Saturday
Bastian Buus, whose car ended up in the gravel in Race 1, showed considerably more pace in the second qualifying and finished fifth with a 0.938-second deficit, marking his best qualifying result of the weekend. Ben Dörr also posted a strong showing for Dörr Motorsport in fourth place, with the team's second car driven by Timo Glock managing only 14th after retiring from Race 1.
Maximilian Paul, making his comeback at the Sachsenring following a heavy accident at the Nürburgring Norisring event in July and having retired after 14 laps in Race 1, qualified for Race 2 in 16th place. Compared to his first race weekend since the injury, this represents progress, demonstrating that adapting back to racing pace after the lengthy absence is progressing step by step. For Race 2, Engel faces the task of defending from the front, while the actual position battles look set to unfold in the tight midfield and among the returning drivers.
