Formula 1 races this year have become an exercise in inevitability. Even if Max Verstappen is beaten to pole, or is bumped down the grid by a penalty as in Spa, it seems only a matter of time until he gets to the front. Red Bull’s reign of dominance has been halted only by F1’s summer break, but there’s no reason to expect its merciless pursuit of a first clean sweep in world championship history to abate when the paddock reconvenes at Zandvoort, not least with rival squads observing its Hungary update has opened up another advantage.
In stark contrast, the DTM is an oasis of unpredictability. At the halfway stage in the season, only one driver has more than one pole. And every race has been won by a different driver.
Clearly, this wouldn’t be possible without Balance of Performance that underpins the GT3 formula used by DTM since 2021 and other series worldwide. Whatever your views on the rights or wrongs of BoP – routinely the subject of scorn from purists – it means the whitewash seen in F1 where there exists a superior package that can win at a canter every week isn’t going to happen. That’s what ultimately makes the manufacturers commit to producing cars, contributing to the variety that is key to sportscar racing’s appeal while also ensuring the health of the discipline.
Even if Lamborghini has more wins than any other manufacturer in the DTM this year (three versus the two of Porsche and one apiece for Mercedes, Audi and BMW), few could have foreseen Grasser stand-in Maximilian Paul winning from 13th at a drenched Nurburgring in round eight last time out.
That marked the first occasion of a repeat polesitter this year in the form of Ricardo Feller’s Abt Audi. But the Zandvoort race two winner’s grip on the race didn’t last long and, as the heavens opened to set up a showdown with Lucas Auer’s Winward Mercedes, series returnee Paul came through in torrential Eifel rain to become the eighth winner in as many rounds.
This follows a trend from the first half of last season, when seven different drivers won in the first half of the season – and which continued after the summer break with an eventual total of 11 different winners from 16 races.
Source: Autosport