Ferrari was a front-running manufacturer in the first two years of the DTM’s GT3 era in 2021-22, with the factory-supported and Red Bull-branded AF Corse squad even challenging for the title with Liam Lawson in 2021.
However, with AF Corse leaving and being replaced by Emil Frey as Ferrari’s sole representative in the DTM, and the ageing 488 GT3 also making way for the new 296 GT3, results were proving to be much harder to achieve in 2023.
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The Emil Frey/Ferrari partnership did get off to a strong note at Oschersleben with Aitken qualifying on the front row on debut and then finishing third in the race, but that had started to seem like a false dawn as errors and inconsistency prevented the team from contending for a podium again.
That was until the fifth round of the season at the Lausitzring, where Aitken, Emil Frey and Ferrari finally lived up to the promise they had shown as they celebrated an impressive an impressive victory from pole position.
Apart from a brief period during the pitstop phase where Lamborghini’s Mirko Bortolotti jumped him with an undercut, Aitken was never headed as he crossed the line 2.4s clear of the field in his blue and red Ferrari.
It followed the 296 GT3’s historic victory at the Nurburgring 24 Hours in May, which was a first for a non-German car at the twice-around-the-clock clock enduro since 2002.
So how was Ferrari finally able to take on German heavyweights Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche as well as fellow Italian marque Lamborghini at the Lausitzring?
According to Emil Frey Racing boss Lorenz Frey-Hilti, the Balance of Performance changes made in the run up to the race were instrumental in ensuring the 296 GT3 was at a par with its rivals, having previously struggled in a straight line.
The boost pressure of the car, which had fluctuated between 2.36-2.40 bar in the first three rounds, was raised to 2.425 bar at the Nurburgring, before being increased further to 2.525 bar at the Lausitzring.
This meant that the Ferrari went from being the slowest car in speed traps at the start of the season to the second-best in the field, only behind the BMW M4 GT3.
Source: Autosport