Top-four lock-out again for BMW on Sunday in Oschersleben
Tom Blomqvist (GB, BMW M4 DTM) just 14 races to join the list of DTM winners in his rookie season: the BMW Team RBM rider led from start to finish to win Sundayâs race in Oschersleben (DE) in emphatic style. Blomqvist got off to a flying start from second on the grid, passing his team-mate Augusto Farfus (BR, Shell BMW M4 DTM) by the first corner and then wasting no time in pulling clear of the rest of the field.
At the end of the 60-minute race at the âMotorsport Arenaâ, one thing was clear: at just 21 years of age, Blomqvist is the youngest BMW winner in the DTM ever. Only Pascal Wehrlein (DE, Mercedes) has triumphed at a younger age. BMW claimed its 68th victory in the DTM.
Farfus crossed the finish line in second place behind Blomqvist to complete the first one-two for BMW Team RBM in the DTM. One day earlier, BMW Team MTEK had achieved the very same dream result. Reigning champion Marco Wittmann (DE, Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM) came home third to join them on the podium. AntĂłnio FĂ©lix da Costa (PT, Red Bull BMW M4 DTM) finished fourth to round off a second successive top-four lock-out in the DTM for BMW.
Timo Glock (DE, DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM), fresh from his victory in Saturdayâs race, came home seventh this time. Maxime Martin (BE, SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM) and Bruno Spengler (CA, BMW Bank M4 DTM) were ninth and tenth. As such, seven BMW drivers finished in the points â just as they did on Saturday. Martin Tomczyk (DE, BMW M Performance Parts M4 DTM) had to settle for 20th place after receiving a drive-through penalty.
Reactions to the 14th race of the 2015 DTM season.
Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director): âThat was a sensational first win by our DTM rookie Tom Blomqvist. To find his feet so quickly in his first year, and to win a race in such dominant fashion, deserves the utmost respect. He is also one of the youngest winners in DTM history. Augusto Farfus also enjoyed a very impressive race, meaning BMW Team RBM was able to repeat the achievement of BMW Team MTEK yesterday and claim a one-two today. Marco Wittmann completed an all-BMW podium, while a further four BMWs finished in the top ten again. I am very happy with the outcome of the weekend here. We were able to make the very most of our opportunities, right across all the teams. I would like to pay a huge compliment to the entire team. I hope Lucas Auer is okay after his big crash.â
Tom Blomqvist (BMW Team RBM, 1st place): âI am incredibly happy. This is perhaps the biggest day of my career so far. To win a race in my rookie season is fantastic. I noticed at the start of the season just how difficult it is to be successful in the DTM. Now everything came together this weekend and I managed to take the opportunity. It has made me hungry for more success.â
Facts and Figures.
Circuit/length/duration:
Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, 3.696 kilometres, 60 minutes plus 1 lap
Conditions:
Cloudy, 24 degrees Celsius
BMW Motorsport results:
#31 Tom Blomqvist (GB), BMW Team RBM, BMW M4 DTM â 1st
#18 Augusto Farfus (BR), BMW Team RBM, Shell BMW M4 DTM â 2nd
#1 Marco Wittmann (DE), BMW Team RMG, Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM â 3rd
#13 AntĂłnio FĂ©lix da Costa (PT), BMW Team Schnitzer, Red Bull BMW M4 DTM â 4th
#16 Timo Glock (DE), BMW Team MTEK, DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM â 7th
#36 Maxime Martin (BE), BMW Team RMG, SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM â 9th
#7 Bruno Spengler (CA), BMW Team MTEK, BMW Bank M4 DTM â 10th
#77 Martin Tomczyk (DE), BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW M Performance Parts M4 DTM â 20th
Useful information:
At 21 years of age, Tom Blomqvist is the youngest BMW driver ever to win a DTM race. He is the second youngest race winner with any manufacturer, behind Pascal Wehrlein (DE).
After Augusto Farfus and Maxime Martin, Blomqvist is the third BMW rookie since BMW returned to the DTM to have won a race in his first season.
Blomqvistâs success means that all eight of the current BMW DTM drivers have won at least one DTM race.
BMW Team RBM claimed its first DTM victory since the race in Zandvoort (NL) in 2013, which was won by Farfus.
For the third time this season, seven BMW drivers finished in the points. They had previously achieved this feat in Saturdayâs races in Zandvoort and Oschersleben.
The safety car took to the track following a collision in the first corner after the start. Blomqvist had passed Farfus to take the lead at the start, followed by AntĂłnio FĂ©lix da Costa and Marco Wittmann.
Bruno Spengler was the first driver to come in for his pit stop at the end of lap twelve. He had previously dropped a number of places after some fierce battles.
Wittmann passed FĂ©lix da Costa to move into third place on lap 17. At the same time, Martin Tomczyk was handed a drive-through penalty for âunsafe releaseâ.
The race was suspended on lap 42, shortly before the end of the scheduled race duration, due to a crash involving Lucas Auer (AT, Mercedes).
