Klaus Weber · DTM-Korrespondent
Ricardo Feller posts the quickest lap in Practice 2 ahead of teammate Thomas Preining, while Marco Wittmann's third-fastest time signals a significant performance gain for Schubert Motorsport.
Ricardo Feller set the pace in the second free practice session of the DTM weekend at Sachsenring with a best lap of 1:18.857, edging out teammate Thomas Preining, who had topped the first session. The gap of just 0.030 seconds highlights how tightly Manthey EMA has dialed in both cars for race trim.
Manthey EMA Reverses the Order
After Preining had posted the day's quickest time in the first session at 1:18.148, the picture shifted in the second stint. Feller improved to 1:18.857 and took the top spot, while Preining fell to second with 1:18.887. Both times sit roughly seven-tenths slower than the best from Practice 1, suggesting a shift in track grip levels or tire strategy between sessions.
The fact that Manthey EMA claimed the top two spots in both practice runs underlines the team's current strength. For the squad, consistency across both sessions matters more than the internal pecking order between the two drivers.
Wittmann and Schubert Make Significant Gains
Marco Wittmann logged the third-fastest time with 1:18.918, a substantial improvement over his showing in Practice 1, where he qualified twelfth at 1:19.071. That nine-position jump suggests Schubert Motorsport found the right direction with its setup adjustments between sessions.
Things went the opposite direction for Wittmann's teammate Kelvin van der Linde. After finishing second in Practice 1 with 1:18.235, he dropped to fourteenth in Practice 2 at 1:19.445, losing 1.21 seconds compared to his earlier benchmark. The disparity within the Schubert camp points to more tuning work needed before qualifying.
Midfield Bunched Tightly Together
Between fourth and tenth place, only 0.281 seconds separate the field in Practice 2, a testament to the tight competition that balance of performance is supposed to create this season. Jules Gounon (1:18.946), Nicki Thiim (1:19.018), Maro Engel (1:19.037), Lucas Auer (1:19.079), Ben Dörr (1:19.087), Thierry Vermeulen (1:19.181), and Bastian Buus (1:19.227) are often split by mere hundredths in race trim.
Van der Linde's deficit stood out at the back of the field, while Nicolas Baert posted the slowest time of the session at 1:20.250, extending his gap to the front to 1.393 seconds. How this grid picture plays out in Saturday's qualifying remains to be seen. For Manthey EMA, the one-two from Practice 2 provides a solid foundation, while for Schubert Motorsport, the internal gap between Wittmann and van der Linde remains the pressing question heading into the first points-paying session.
