DTM: 8 points for Nico Müller on anniversary
DTM The driver from Bern contested his 50th DTM race at the Lausitzring near Dresden on Sunday. The Audi works driver was not rewarded well enough for a very good performance. "My goal in the next 50 races is the title." Nico Müller made his DTM debut on May 4, 2014 at the Hockenheimring, back then still with Audi Team Rosberg. On [...]
Nico Müller made his DTM debut on May 4, 2014 at the Hockenheimring, back then still with Audi Team Rosberg. Last Sunday, three years and 17 days later, he contested his 50th race in Europe's most popular touring car racing series at the Lausitzring in an Audi RS5 from Team Abt Sportsline.
The undisputed highlight so far was his victory in July 2016 at the Norisring in Nuremberg, his employer's home circuit. Two months earlier, he achieved the first pole position and the first podium (3rd) of his career at Hockenheim.
Although he has not been able to confirm these outstanding performances since then, the 25-year-old from Thun enjoys the full confidence of Audi Sport. Otherwise, he would not have been considered for the works squad for the 2017 season, which has been reduced from eight to six drivers.
"So many factors play a role in the DTM that everything has to be right in order to win. That's why you have to be satisfied with good finishes below the podium. The important thing is simply to show consistent progress, and I've certainly managed to do that," summarizes Müller.
His ambition, confidence and self-assurance are so great that the only driver flying the Swiss flag in the field of 18 DTM full-time professionals from ten nations will be a title contender sooner or later. "That has to be my goal in the next few years. The constellation in the team and for my part, there's nothing to stop me."
On his anniversary weekend at the impressive EuroSpeedway in the eastern German state of Saxony, Nico Müller was able to match the speed of the best. In the first race on Saturday, however, he had to retire with brake problems while chasing a possible fifth place.
On Sunday, in his 50th DTM race, a misunderstanding in radio communication with race control slowed him down. As a result, Müller, who finished sixth, certainly gave away another position and the two points for it. But his conclusion was otherwise positive: "I did everything right today. The car and speed were good, and we can build on that."
