Pre-season favourite, Bathgate’s Paul Di Resta, qualified top Mercedes driver for the opening round of the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) at Hockenheim, but the 22-year-old was left stunned when Audi locked-out the front five grid slots.
“We certainly never expected that,” Di Resta, who was denied last year’s championship when Audi drivers ganged up against him in the season finale at the same circuit,” admitted today.
“It certainly makes race day even more difficult, but if there’s one thing I learned last year it’s that I have to take no prisoners this season. I may be starting sixth on the grid, but as long as I get a good start and get in amongst the Audis we can win it on strategy.
“We proved in the final pre-season test that we have the quickest car over a race distance. Now we have to carry that over into the championship opener. What’s crucial is, even if I don’t win, that I finish on the podium.
“We lost the championship last year simply by starting the season to slowly. We can’t afford to do that this year and I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure I leave with as many points as possible.”
Di Resta’s fastest time of 1min 32.456secs wasn’t enough to see him into the top four drivers who, in the new qualifying format for DTM, were each then allowed one additional flying lap in an effort to capture pole position.
Ironically the Scot — and defending champion, Audi’s Timo Scheider who qualified fifth — watched as Mattias Ekstrom took pole for Audi with a time of 1m32.535s, 0.079s slower than Di Resta’s quickest time.
Dane Tom Kristensen starts second with Martin Tomczyk third, alongside fourth-placed Oliver Jarvis from England. Mercedes’ miserable day was compounded when Di Resta’s team-mate, ex-F1 grand prix winner Ralf Schumacher, could only qualify 12th.
ends