Nicki Thiim heads to Zandvoort with cautious optimism after a promising DTM weekend for Aston Martin and Comtoyou Racing at the Red Bull Ring.
The Belgian outfit left Austria with encouraging signs, as Aston Martin continued to settle into Comtoyou Racing’s second DTM campaign. However, Thiim remained realistic before the Dutch round, knowing how quickly expectations can change in DTM.
Thiim looks to build on Red Bull Ring momentum
Thiim said Aston Martin’s progress at the Red Bull Ring gave the team a positive base before Zandvoort.
He explained that the weekend in Austria had been a solid step forward, especially as Comtoyou Racing continued to adapt to its DTM programme with Aston Martin. Zandvoort will present another new challenge for the team, but Thiim said he was looking forward to returning to one of the DTM’s standout events.
At the same time, he refused to get carried away. Thiim pointed out that DTM often remained unpredictable, meaning strong expectations before a race weekend could quickly turn into frustration once the event began.
“Thank you. It would be amazing to keep the rhythm going from the Sunday Red Bull Ring. We had a decent weekend there. Getting everything up to speed is obviously the first year at Aston, so also going to Zandvoort will be new for us. You have to remember it’s only the second year for the team, but I’m really looking forward to it. But as Thierry [Vermeulen] says, you never know what you get at DTM, so I have high hopes.”
“But every time you have high hopes, you always get hit with a hammer even harder, so I try to be realistic. Looking forward to this race. It’s always a special event on the DTM calendar, and it looks like we’re going to have amazing weather. I’m looking forward to a really good weekend.”
Thiim praises Comtoyou Racing’s development
Thiim said racing with Aston Martin in DTM had already made a clear difference for him, as he arrived in the championship with strong knowledge of the car and the brand.
He admitted the Red Bull Ring had not traditionally been one of his favourite circuits, but the team improved throughout the weekend and showed stronger pace on Sunday. For Thiim that progress confirmed the direction Comtoyou Racing had taken since joining the championship.
The Dane also praised the team’s work in only its second DTM season. However, he stressed that the relationship between driver, engineers and crew still needed time to grow. In DTM, he said, that connection around the car was especially important, and the aim remained to stay consistent while continuing to learn.
“First of all, it’s just amazing to represent this brand in the coolest series there is. It’s just night and day for me, just coming straight away into a car that you know. I always used to struggle at the Red Bull Ring. It’s not one of my favourite tracks, to be honest. But yeah, we improved over the whole weekend. Sunday we were right there, I would say.”
“But yeah, again, the team is brilliant. Only the second season, as I said, and you could see last year how much they improved. But yeah, the same as Thierry [Vermeulen] for me, I’m working with new people. Especially DTM, it’s so important to have this very good connection all the way around. So it’s still building. But yeah, keeping positive, just trying to be consistent and keep learning.”
Zandvoort brings positive memories for Thiim
Zandvoort holds good memories for Thiim as he returns to the Dutch circuit. Last season, he scored his best DTM result of the year there after a strong strategy call in a rain-affected race.
Thiim said he enjoyed driving at Zandvoort and described the circuit as one that many DTM drivers looked forward to. Returning with a car he knew well should give him a more comfortable starting point, especially compared to previous seasons.
Still, he remained careful with his expectations. Although he looked forward to the event, Thiim admitted that too much optimism before a race weekend could make any setback feel even more disappointing.
“I think everyone loves to go there. I also love driving there. Obviously, the last two years have been painful, besides that lucky call last year, I would say.”
“But yeah, coming there with a car you know, it’s just a fantastic feeling to drive around there. So yeah, again, I’m really looking forward to it. But then again, I’m always afraid to say that because then you’ll get more disappointed if it doesn’t run the way you want it to.”
Thiim wants more tyre degradation in DTM
Thiim also reflected on DTM’s new tyre and said he would still like to see a more aggressive compound in the future.
The Aston Martin driver had welcomed the idea of a softer tyre when it was first discussed, as he believed it could add another layer to the racing. In his view, more tyre degradation would force drivers to think more carefully during a stint, rather than simply pushing flat out for the full race distance.
Thiim felt DTM had taken a safer direction with the current tyre choice. However, he hoped the championship could explore a softer option in the future, as he believed a bigger drop-off would make races more challenging and more interesting from a driver’s perspective.
“Yeah, you already said it Sven. When I first read the news that DTM wanted a soft tyre, I was actually really happy, because it just makes it more fun as a driver, I think, to really think about it, but we already went through that, so yeah, I totally agree. It would have been nice to get a super soft tyre, it would have been nice to try the tyre again that we had in Paul Ricard, but I reckon we were just under pressure at the time, so I think they took the safe choice, but I think hopefully next year, maybe.”
“I think it would be even better if we had a massive drop like you see in Formula 1 or something like that. But yeah, you have some drivers there, as I said, I think someone is just too used to having a tyre where you just don’t need to think, you just drive flat out for one hour, and I would like to have a tyre that just completely drops off, but that’s just my wish.”
Nordschleife remains Thiim’s dream DTM addition
With ADAC’s Thomas Voss suggesting that DTM could expand to a ninth race weekend next season, Thiim had a clear answer when asked which circuit he would like to see added to the calendar.
The Dane wanted DTM to take an old-school approach and include the Nordschleife. He said a short race format on the legendary Nürburgring layout would be his preferred addition, especially as the circuit played such a major role in DTM’s history.
“I think I already gave my answer, that’s when I would definitely go old school. We go for four-lap race on Nordschleife, 100%. Call me in on that one, but again as Thierry [Vermeulen] says, nine or even ten weekends, [unintelligible]. But Nordschleife for sure, like in the good old nineties.”
Although the Nürburgring 24 Hours sits outside the DTM calendar, Thiim was also asked whether he could take anything from the endurance classic into Zandvoort.
He joked that the main lesson was that he needed more sleep as he got older. Beyond that, Thiim said the two events were too different to draw a major comparison, with the 24-hour race standing apart from a DTM weekend.
“Just getting older. Need more sleep. That’s the only thing I can take from this race. Yeah, it’s a completely different story. So it’s hard to give you something really good about it. Not much to say. Always flat out.”
