Marco Wittmann admitted BMW’s competitiveness at the Sachsenring came as a surprise after he converted pole position into victory in DTM Race 1.
The Schubert Motorsport driver entered the Sachsenring weekend carrying 20kg of success ballast following his victory at the Nürburgring. Despite BMW’s previous struggles at the circuit, Wittmann secured his first pole position of the 2026 season before holding off Jules Gounon in a closely fought Race 1.
Gounon crossed the line just 0.45 seconds behind the BMW driver, while Thomas Preining completed the podium. The result marked Wittmann’s second consecutive victory, his 21st in DTM and BMW’s first DTM win at the Sachsenring. It also moved the two-time champion to within 14 points of championship leader Preining ahead of Sunday’s second race.
Speaking during the post-race press conference attended by Pit Debrief, Wittmann reflected on BMW’s unexpected step forward, the pressure he faced throughout DTM Race 1 and the role qualifying played in setting up his victory at the Sachsenring.
Wittmann surprised by BMW’s Sachsenring breakthrough
BMW had struggled for outright pace at the Sachsenring in recent seasons, particularly in qualifying. However, signs of progress already emerged during Friday practice, with Kelvin van der Linde topping FP1 before Wittmann went fastest in FP2.
Wittmann explained that the performance came as a surprise after the difficulties the manufacturer had previously experienced at the circuit. He also acknowledged that the timing of a red flag helped his qualifying effort by allowing him to position himself at the front of the pit-lane queue.
“Yeah, I would say also for us a big surprise. I mean, in the last two or three years, it has always been a very difficult track for us. I think we made some good steps during the test day, and suddenly on Friday we were in the mimix,hich was also already a surprise for us with Kelvin [van der Linde] in FP1 and me in FP2. And I couldn’t believe that the picture, I was not sure if the picture is really true or is it really showing us everything.”
Red flag plays into Wittmann’s hands in qualifying
While BMW’s improved pace put Wittmann in contention, the two-time DTM champion also acknowledged that the timing of the red flag helped his qualifying effort. He positioned himself at the front of the pit-lane queue and had a clear track when the session resumed.
“But yeah, with today’s qualifying for sure there was a bit of luck as well in it with the red flag. I was the car who queued first in the pit lane, so therefore obviously I had a free track. I could really prep my tyres for those one- or two-push laps.”
“I think some cars just managed one push lap afterwards. So basically the luck was on our side, but still we managed to put in a good lap time. And yeah, it surprised us with pole position basically. So from there I knew if we can have a clean start and if we don’t make any mistakes, we can achieve at least a podium with the success balance. Here as overtaking is very difficult. That at the end we even managed to win it is just incredible.”
Sachsenring test helped BMW find the right direction
While Wittmann kept the finer details of BMW’s progress to himself, he pointed towards the manufacturer’s Sachsenring test as an important factor in understanding the demands of the circuit. The German highlighted just how significant the improvement had been compared to previous years, when BMW regularly found itself much further down the qualifying order.
“Well, I mean, I don’t tell my secrets, obviously, to you. But I think we made a step, you know. Again, the last two or three years it has always been difficult. Sometimes last year we had also some good race pace and with the strategy with the wet race we made good progress in the race last year.”
“But generally in qualifying we were always around P12 to P18 here. And I think the test here helped us to understand what the car needs, what the balance is. And I think we tuned it in the right way. Again, I think the red flag helped us today. So we were definitely on the better side of the field. But still, I mean, at the end you take it. And today to finish the day with the full point score is just incredible.”
Wittmann had “never really” any room to breathe
Pole position placed Wittmann in control at the start, but the 20kg of success ballast he carried following his Nürburgring victory added another challenge to an already demanding DTM Race 1 at the Sachsenring.
Gounon remained within striking distance for much of the afternoon and briefly moved ahead during the mandatory pit-stop sequence before Wittmann reclaimed the effective lead. Preining also closed on the leading pair later in the race, leaving Wittmann under sustained pressure until the chequered flag. Wittmann conceded that he did not have the quickest race car and said avoiding mistakes became his main priority as the laps counted down of DTM Race 1 at the Sachsenring.
“It was not easy, because definitely we didn’t have the fastest race car today. So I was always under pressure from those two next to me. And for me it was just important to keep the concentration high, to not make a mistake, because basically the gap stayed the whole race always the same, sometimes a bit closer, sometimes slightly bigger. But I never really had a lot of air to breathe.”
“Just before the pit stop we also started to grain the front tyres, which was difficult. Again, at the end it was just really trying to not make any mistakes, keep the car clean, keep it on track. As we know this track is very difficult to overtake. I basically managed to bring it home.”
Fan support adds to Wittmann’s successful afternoon
Wittmann’s performance also earned him the DTM Driver of the Day award for the second consecutive race. The BMW driver received 43 per cent of the public vote following his Sachsenring victory. Having competed in DTM since 2013, Wittmann praised the support he continues to receive and highlighted the strong attendance across the championship’s events.
“Yeah, I think over those years I’m in DTM since 2013. I think I have an incredible fan base, a huge fan base. Most of them are obviously at my home race at the Norisring. But it’s great to have so many fans here. Generally, I have to say, all the events are very crowded. We have a lot of spectators every time at the race events. It’s great to see that they are really enjoying the DTM and we are trying to put on a good show for them.”
New Pirelli tyre could influence qualifying preparation
Wittmann also addressed whether improved tyre preparation had contributed to BMW’s stronger qualifying showing compared to previous Sachsenring weekends. However, he felt the red flag made direct comparisons difficult because the interruption gave the entire field additional time to generate heat in the tyres while waiting in the pit lane. He nevertheless pointed to differences with DTM’s new Pirelli tyre for 2026 and suggested those characteristics could affect how drivers prepare for qualifying laps.
“I think you cannot compare this qualifying with the past years because it was such a different quali with the red flag. We were standing there in the pit lane for 10 minutes. So everybody got an additional heat soak into the tyres. So I think you can’t compare it. Definitely, I would say, generally with the new Pirelli DTM tyre, there is a bit of a difference to the spec from last year. And this might also have consequences in quali prep and quali performance.”
