Weekend tip: NASCAR feeling in the DTM 🎥
LAUSITZ-PREMIERE IN TRIOVAL On Saturday and Sunday, the DTM will hold two races at the newly homologated Lausitzring with Turn 1 à la NASCAR and IndyCar. Meanwhile, Formula E will start two world championship rounds on an equally special circuit in London. Five weeks after the premiere in Monza, the attractive GT3 sports cars of the DTM teams come to [...]
Five weeks after the premiere in Monza, the attractive GT3 sports cars of the DTM teams come to the Lausitz. A limited number of spectators are again permitted there.
The 300-meter long and banked first corner at the Lausitzring will put the drivers of the 2021 DTM to the test. Germany's youngest and most modern race track, located between Berlin and Dresden, received FIA homologation for this 4.562-kilometer configuration just this week.
Comparable to the Speedway in Florida
Turn 1 is approached after the long start/finish straight at around 270 km/h and offers more than just a fast line at 250. Perhaps the DTM aces in the race will thunder through this slight steep turn two or even three abreast, as in IndyCars or NASCAR.
The tilt angle of Turn 1 can be found in the USA, for example, at the Homestead Speedway south of Miami. Naturally, everyone is looking forward to this new challenge.
Nico Müller: "I'm happy to accept it. An oval experience like this, which hardly anyone from the DTM has ever experienced, is cool. The starts will certainly be especially exciting..."
Will the next podium follow?
As race winner in the past two years with the Audi RS5 turbo touring car, the two-time runner-up has good memories of the Lausitzring. However, the conditions have changed slightly with the switch to the GT3 category.
The driver from Berne is confident that after the podium at Monza (P2 in race 2) he will again have a say in the top positions with the Audi R8 LMS from Team Rosberg regardless of its classification (Balance of Performance).
Nico Müller: "I'm generally confident that we did a good job in preparation and will be fast. We'll make the most of it, no matter what the starting position is. The goal is to fight for the podium again and score good points on both days."
TV live on Sat1 and on the Internet
As the second Swiss driver in the 2021 DTM field, Philip Ellis is hoping for his first top result in a Mercedes. At the season opener in Italy, the driver from Zug was well on his way to achieving this goal until his retirement in the first race.
Both races will be broadcast on Sat1 free TV from 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The DTM Trophy for GT4 drivers, in which Lucas Mauron from St. Gallen competes in an Audi R8 and Yann Zimmer from Neuchâtel in a BMW M4, can be seen live on Sport1. The start of the introductory lap is at 3:10 p.m. each day.
Via streaming services such as the online platform DTM Grid the DTM and the DTM Trophy can also be followed worldwide on every laptop and smartphone.
Formula E race through the hall
Instead of permanent race tracks, Formula E prefers the metropolises of this world. After the skyscrapers of New York City, the historic docklands of East London will be the fascinating backdrop this weekend for Races 12 and 13 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season.
The 2.25-kilometer track with 22 curves runs through the ExCeL exhibition center located on the Thames. The race takes place both indoors and outdoors.
The concrete floor in the hall was treated with a special substance to improve grip and protect the surface. The height differences between the indoor and outdoor areas are bridged with ramps. Extraordinary would be the change of wet track outside and dry track inside in case of rain.
A good starting position is half the battle
The narrow and rather slow circuit offers few overtaking maneuvers. Therefore, a good position on the grid will be all the more important. This is therefore also the primary goal of the two Swiss drivers Sébastien Buemi (Nissan) and Edoardo Mortara (Venturi-Mercedes).
As the fourth-placed player in the World Championships, the Geneva native is at a disadvantage as a qualifier in the first group, while the previously unsuccessful Vaudois has an advantage.
Start time is 3 p.m. on Saturday (4 p.m. CEST) and 2 p.m. local time on Sunday (3 p.m. CEST). They will be broadcast on Sat1 and with Swiss commentary on MySportsCH. An Internet live stream is available at ran.de/motorsport.
In the English preview of the London E-Prix, starting at 5:35 minutes, the circuit through the hall is shown and explained - interesting!
