Nürburgring, Germany. Marco Wittmann smiled again in the DTM. The German rider, she starred in a weekend outstanding at the Nürburgring to get his first win of the season and, at the same time, to retrieve options in the fight for the drivers ' championship. At the wheel of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO #11 Schaeffler, the champion scored a third place finish on Saturday and a victory on Sunday, results that allow you to stand fifth in the general classification with 135 points, only 25 out of the lead.

The result is a major boost for Wittmann and for Schubert Motorsport in the final stretch of the season. After several races complicated, the team was able to find the right mix between rhythm, strategy and execution to return to the German pilot to positions of privilege.

Sunday's win also had a special meaning for Wittmann. He tried his twenty-triumph in the DTM and the first from Zandvoort in 2024. A success that comes at a decisive moment, when there are four races to play, and there's still a lot at stake both in the drivers ' classification as well as in the equipment.

A weekend that changed the landscape for Wittmann

The basis of the result is built from the qualifying sessions. Wittmann got a fourth in one of them, and a sixth in the other, positions which enabled him to face the two races from locations competitive.

The pilot of BMW took advantage of those opportunities from the beginning. Saturday managed to stay in the fight and finished third, securing a place on the podium and a significant amount of points for the championship. However, it would be Sunday when you would get the great result of the weekend.

The second race was a demonstration of consistency and collective work. Wittmann made use of his experience at the wheel of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, while Schubert Motorsport ran a strategy that ended up being the determining factor. The pit stops were flawless and allowed the team to keep the #11 in a favorable position during a race in which the pressure was constant.

Finally, Wittmann crossed the chequered flag in first position and was able to celebrate a victory that had long been looking for.

The strategy of Schubert Motorsport, key to the victory

In a category as competitive as the DTM, the performance of the rider is only one part of the equation. Strategy and execution during the stops you can define the result of a race, and at the Nürburgring Schubert Motorsport managed to do practically everything to perfection.

Wittmann emphasized precisely the work of the team after the race. The German explained that the Sunday proved to be a very hotly contested, especially by the pressure exerted by Thomas Preining and Tom Kalender during the last few laps.

The situation was particularly demanding in the final stretch. Wittmann had to manage the advantage while Kalender came with new tires and a rate considerably higher. The pressure of Preining, also, ended up indirectly benefiting the pilot of Schaeffler, because it allowed to generate a difference in Kalender.

The German got to manage that situation until the checkered flag, and become again the winner of the DTM.

For Schubert Motorsport, the victory also represents a reward after a season demanding. The team not only got the win with Wittmann, but also consolidated its position in the constructors ' championship by teams, which currently occupies the third place with 201 points, 30 of the leader.

The twenty-victory of Marco Wittmann

The triumph at the Nürburgring has a special importance within the path of Marco Wittmann. The German reached 20 victories in the DTM, a figure that reinforces its status as one of the experienced pilots of the category.

Wittmann already know what it means to win championships. The pilot got two titles, and now again have a chance to fight for a third crown. The road is still complicated, but the results obtained at the Nürburgring changed considerably in their situation.

Before the end of the week, the margin of maneuver was more reduced. Now, with 135 points and the fifth position in the championship, is 25 units of the leader. With four races still to play, the driver of the BMW has now become part of the conversation for the title.

The own Wittmann acknowledged that the weekend was a major change after some events difficult during the season. For him, the key was that everything started to work since Friday.

The victory also came after an intense battle, and was not the product of a single run. The pilot had to defend themselves, to manage the tyres and keep the concentration up to the last few meters.

A weekend to forget for Kelvin van der Linde

While Wittmann lived one of their best weekends of the year, his companion of Schubert Motorsport, Kelvin van der Linde, had exactly the opposite result.

The south african left the two races at the Nürburgring. On Saturday, a technical problem ended their interest ahead of time. On Sunday, his career ended after being involved in an accident in the line of departure, in a situation in which he had no responsibility.

The contrast was especially painful for the pilot of Shell BMW M4 GT3 EVO #3, since, in accordance with the own team, he had the pace needed to fight for important positions.

Van der Linde described the weekend as a disaster, and deeply regretted not having been able to score points in any of the two races. However, it still maintains the eye in the four races remaining in the season.

The goal is now to close the year in the best way possible, and above all, help Schubert Motorsport in the fight for the championship teams.

BMW keeps alive the hope of the championship

From BMW M Motorsport also noted with appreciation the outcome of the Nürburgring. Andreas Roos, head of the division, congratulated Wittmann for a weekend that it was essential to regain ground in the championship.

The goal before you get to the Nürburgring was clear: after the results difficult of the previous races, BMW needed a robust performance to to get back in the fight for the title.

Wittmann responded with a podium and a win.

Roos he is especially noted for the combination between the experience of the German pilot and his ability to run the race under pressure. Also put in value the work of Schubert Motorsport, especially in the strategy and the pit stops.

The head of BMW M Motorsport regretted, however, the bad luck suffered by Kelvin van der Linde. From the perspective of the computer, the south also had a chance to fight for an outstanding result, but the incidents of the Nürburgring prevented him from converting that potential into points.

The situation leaves an interesting picture for the close of the season. BMW still has the potential to mathematics both in the drivers ' championship as the team classification.

Schubert Motorsport is about to leadership

The 201 points accumulated by Schubert Motorsport placed team in the third position in the championship, 30 units of the leader.

The result of Wittmann was, therefore, doubly important. Not only allowed the German to cut the gap in the individual classification, but also gave the team an amount of points that can be decisive in the final four races.

Torsten Schubert, director of the team, described the weekend as fantastic and put special emphasis on the return of Wittmann at the top of the podium after two years without a win in the DTM.

Schubert also acknowledged that the results allow the team to maintain at least a theoretical possibility to fight for the title.

The picture might have been still more favorable had it not been for the problems of the van der Linde. Its double abandonment deprived Schubert Motorsport of an important opportunity to score additional points.

Four races, to define it all

The DTM is now entering a decisive phase. With four races still to play, the results of the Nürburgring can mark a before and an after for Marco Wittmann.

The German has gone from needing a result of blunt again to be at a relatively short distance of the lead. The 25 points that separate him from the first position make each race remaining have a huge value.

However, the competition will be intense. Wittmann will need to keep the level shown at the Nürburgring and at the same time, to avoid the problems that have caused some of his previous actions.

It will also be essential to the work of Schubert Motorsport. Strategy, pit stops and reliability of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO can have a decisive role in the definition of the championship.

For Kelvin van der Linde, the objective will be different, but equally important: to recover from the blow suffered at the Nürburgring and get points to help the team in the constructors'.

Wittmann returns to believe

The weekend of the Nürburgring leaves a clear conclusion: Marco Wittmann is back in the fight.

The German rider joined by a third place finish on Saturday and a victory on Sunday, reached 20 victories in the DTM and substantially reduced the distance from the leader of the championship. All this after a season in which the results have not always had accompanied their aspirations.

Now, with 135 points and four runs ahead, the champion can go back to think of a third title.

The victory also gives confidence to the whole project of Schubert Motorsport. The team demonstrated that it has the capability to compete at the front and that it can execute a winning strategy when the pressure increases.

The challenge will be to maintain this performance in the next races. The margin of error is becoming less and less, but Nürburgring demonstrated that the fight for the title is still open.

Marco Wittmann needed a weekend like that. Found it at Nürburgring, where he obtained a victory worth more to the point: returns to German to fight for the championship and becomes the close of the season of the DTM in a battle that promises to be exciting until the final checkered flag.

Source: BMW Group