Lightning start key to victory: Engel triumphs in Spielberg

• Mercedes-AMG driver claims his third DTM victory at the Red Bull Ring
• Marco Wittmann fights back strongly to finish second
• 51,000 visitors enjoy spectacular DTM opener in Styria

Spielberg. Maro Engel (Monaco/Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol) won the second DTM race of the season on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring. The experienced racer overtook race leader Kelvin van der Linde (ZA/Schubert Motorsport) around the halfway point of the race, and went on to take his third DTM victory after 37 laps. "I am overjoyed to finally have won a race again," said the Mercedes-AMG driver, delighted with his first DTM success since June 2023. "This win feels all the better, after it unfortunately did not work out on Saturday. The key was a super start, when I raced straight through to second place." Runner-up was Marco Wittmann (Fürth/Schubert Motorsport), who produced a tactically astute performance from ninth on the grid. Local favourite Lucas Auer (A/Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf) came home third to claim another podium at his home event, having finished second on Saturday. The DTM season kicked off for the first time at the Formula 1 circuit in the Alps, where 51,000 visitors experienced the opening round live.

Key facts, Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, race 2 of 16

• Circuit length: 4,326 metres
• Weather: 20 degrees, sunny
• Pole position: Kelvin van der Linde (ZA/Schubert Motorsport, BMW M4 GT3 Evo #3), 1:27.575 minutes
• Winner: Maro Engel (Monaco/Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol, Mercedes-AMG GT3 #80)
• Fastest lap: Nicki Thiim (Comtoyou Racing, Aston Martin Vantage GT3 #7), 1:28.497 minutes

Engel made an impressive start to the Sunday race at the Red Bull Ring: the experienced racer immediately gained three positions and slotted into second place behind pole-sitter Kelvin van der Linde (ZA/Schubert Motorsport). He was followed in third place by fellow Mercedes-AMG driver Auer, with Wittmann down in seventh place in his BMW M4 GT3 Evo at this point. Engel moved into the lead after the first pit stop. Wittmann, who came in very early for his tyre change, battled his way into second place after overtaking van der Linde and Auer. Jules Gounon (F/Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter) followed in fifth.

Engel remained in front after the second mandatory pit stop, and proceeded to pull clear of his rivals over the remainder of the race. He eventually crossed the finish line 4.857 seconds ahead of Wittmann. Auer came home third, with Gounon and Nicki Thiim (DK/Comtoyou Racing) taking fourth and fifth place. Pole-sitter van der Linde was unable to back up his qualifying performance and ended the second race of the season in Styria in sixth. Ben Dörr (Butzbach/Dörr Motorsport) guided his McLaren 720S GT3 Evo to seventh place. Newcomer Finn Wiebelhaus (Obertshausen/HRT Ford Racing) finished eighth in the Ford Mustang GT3 to claim his first top-ten result in the DTM. The best-placed Ferrari driver was Thierry Vermeulen (NL/Emil Frey Racing) in ninth. Youngster Bastian Buus (DK/Land-Motorsport) rounded out the top ten on Sunday.

Marco Wittmann: "An unbelievably good result! We had quick pit stops, and I was able to gain several places immediately after the first tyre change. Lucas Auer got extremely close to me at one point. I could not allow a single mistake. You had to focus really hard."

Lucas Auer: "On the podium twice at my home event - it doesn't get much better than that. The two pit stops make it even more important to get the right strategy, and the team did a super job in that regard. The atmosphere was awesome all weekend. I really enjoyed the DTM opener."

Result of race two of the season at the Red Bull Ring
1. Maro Engel (D/Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol)
2. Marco Wittmann (D/Schubert Motorsport), +4.857 seconds
3. Lucas Auer (A/Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf), +5.429 seconds
4. Jules Gounon (F/Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter), +6.220 seconds
5. Nicki Thiim (DK/Comtoyou Racing), +9.203 seconds

The full result is available at dtm.com/en/results.