Felix Rosenqvist showcased further promise in the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) at the Nürburgring this weekend, qualifying just a few tenths off pole position but ultimately leaving Germany without scoring any points after picking up a drive-through penalty.
Rosenqvist, who clinched a point on his DTM debut with Mercedes-AMG in Moscow last month, upheld his strong form in Germany’s leading racing series to qualify seventh on the grid for Saturday’s opening race in the Eifel, out-pacing no fewer than seven former DTM champions in the process to end up just two tenths from pole.
A poor start, however, saw Rosenqvist drop down the order in the opening heat, the 24-year-old eventually coming home just outside the points in 12th.
On Sunday, the DTM’s exceptional competitiveness was further emphasised, with the full field of 24 cars separated by a mere 0.859 seconds in qualifying for Race 2. Rosenqvist found himself right in the heat of battle, ending up 0.303s off pole – in 12th place…
Making a much-improved start, Rosenqvist gained a position on the run to Turn 1 as the second race got underway, running in tandem with fellow Swede Mattias Ekström (who went on to finish fourth) in the early stages before making his mandatory pit stop on lap 20.
As Rosenqvist re-joined fast lane after his change of tyres, however, he was accidentally sent out into the path of Martin Tomczyk, inadvertently clattering the German’s BMW.
As a consequence, Rosenqvist picked up a drive-through penalty, leaving him 19th at the fall of the chequered flag.
“It’s good to see the pace being this strong once again, even though unfortunately I didn’t score any points,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “There was an unfortunate misunderstanding in Race 2 that cost us that opportunity, so that was a shame. Without that, I think we would have been in the top ten. More than anything else, I’ve learned a lot again this weekend. The DTM is such a competitive championship, and it gets pretty close out on track. That’s a type of racing I still need to get used to a little, but all in all it’s been another great experience with Mercedes-AMG.”
Next up on Rosenqvist’s fixed race agenda is the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup finale in Barcelona on October 1-2. He will also attend the next DTM round in Budapest in two weeks’ time along with Mercedes-AMG, although it’s not currently confirmed in what capacity.
RESULTS
DTM | Nürburgring (Germany)
Race 1
1: Marco Wittmann (GER), 30 laps
2: Tom Blomqvist (GBR), +7.136s
3: Jamie Green (GBR), +9.031s
4: Edoardo Mortara (ITA), +9.783s
5: Timo Glock (GER), +11.768s
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12: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), +35.474s
Race 2
1: Edoardo Mortara (ITA), 43 laps
2: Lucas Auer (AUT), +3.726s
3: Marco Wittmann (GER), +7.526s
4: Mattias Ekström (SWE), +7.849s
5: Nico Müller (SWI), +9.182s
—
19: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), +45.546s