Porsche one-two: Preining and Feller dominate free practice in Oschersleben

• Manthey drivers finish first and second in both of Friday's DTM sessions
• Luca Engstler goes third fastest in the Lamborghini Temerario GT3
• Focus on optimal balance and qualifying simulations in the Börde region

Oschersleben. Thomas Preining (Manthey) has made a strong start to the second half of the DTM season. The Austrian was the fastest man in both free practices on Friday in Oschersleben. The 28-year-old set the fastest time of the day, 1:22.425, in the second session. "Oschersleben has always been one of my favourite circuits. The track is winding, there are a lot of tight corners, and you are often in a low gear. That reminds me of kart tracks and is something I really enjoy. We were on it from the word go, and the Porsche feels really strong. We can still work on a few details, but on the whole we are at a good level," said Preining.

Team-mate Ricardo Feller (CH) also hit fine form in the Porsche 911 GT3 R, ending both sessions in second place behind Preining. Luca Engstler (Kempten/Red Bull Team Abt) was third fastest in a Lamborghini Temerario GT3. "We tried a few things out at first, and found a really good set-up over the course of the day. Oschersleben is a special track for me, and one I associate with many emotions. I was here often when my father used to race. Plus, I claimed my maiden DTM victory in Oschersleben two years ago," said Engstler. Fourth place went to Lucas Auer (A/Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf). Mirko Bortolotti (I/TGI Team by GRT) guided another Lamborghini to fifth.

With temperatures around 17 degrees Celsius on Friday morning, Free Practice 1 was all about finding the ideal set-up for the winding, 3.667-kilometre circuit in the Magdeburg Börde region. Preining was one of the busiest and most aggressive drivers, knocking Feller off top spot shortly before the end of the session with a time of 1:22.493 minutes.

The afternoon's second session saw all the drivers switch to fresh Pirelli slicks with a quarter of an hour remaining - and so began the dress rehearsal for qualifying on Saturday. Mercedes-AMG driver Auer initially led the way, before Preining hit back with the fastest time of the day, just two minutes before the end of the session. Feller and Engstler then slotted into second and third place.

The first qualifying session in Oschersleben starts at 09:45 on Saturday. Fans can follow the race against the clock via a livestream on ran.de. ProSieben is showing all 16 of this season's races live on free-to-air TV, with coverage beginning at 13:00 on Saturday and Sunday. The two races will also be streamed live and free of charge on Joyn, ServusTV On and the YouTube channel @DTM.

All the results from Oschersleben can be found at dtm.com/en/results.