Penalty against second-placed Wittmann: 0.005 seconds make the difference!

(Motorsport-Total.com) - A stroke of luck in a bad way for Marco Wittmann at Zandvoort: The BMW works driver, who clinched the Schubert one-two ( race report ) behind the badly injured Rene Rast in his 200th DTM race, was given a five-second penalty after the race as a substitute for a penalty lap. The stewards accused him of forcing Jack Aitken off the track at the start in the first corner. But the penalty has no consequences!

Wittmann remains in second place, just 0.005 seconds ahead of "Grello" Porsche driver Thomas Preining. With this maneuver, Wittmann, who started from third, overtook the Emil Frey Ferrari driver and laid the foundation for the one-two finish. "That was actually the plan from the beginning," Wittmann grins about his jump to second place. "But you have plans and you never know if they'll work out."

Was there an agreement with his teammate, who could decide when to pick up the pace right in front of him? "Not at all, because he's obviously blocking the inside. He doesn't want to let me through either," says Wittmann.

Wittmann on punished action: "Trying to leave space"

But how did Wittmann experience the incident against Aitken for which he was penalized? "He tried it again on the outside in the first corner," says Wittmann. "It was already clear to me that he would probably be able to brake later on the outside on the racing line." However, because of the outside lane, the Ferrari driver was at a less favorable angle.

"I tried to give him space," he admits, not guilty. "Of course, I was also aware that I had the advantage in the next corner because I was on the inside."

Did Wittmann ultimately benefit from Rast’s condition?

An interesting duel for victory then developed between the BMW drivers. Wittmann was in Rast's slipstream, especially in the final stages, but couldn't get past him. "Rene had very strong pace in the first and second stints," Wittmann remarked. "Then things turned a bit when I was suddenly able to attack in the final stint. But it wasn't quite enough."

Did Rast's physical condition have anything to do with Wittmann's ability to catch up in the end? "I don't know," answers team boss Torsten Schubert. "They were both relatively on the same level." Apart from that, he believes that Rast also "didn't push as hard" toward the end. "I think they both agreed not to fight each other."

Witmann's answer sounds a little different: Was there a chance? "I think it's rather difficult to lure both Rene and me into making a mistake," he replies. "We were racing at an extremely high level. You try, you look to see if you can find a gap, you look to see if you have a small mistake that you can perhaps exploit."

Wittmann: "There was no possibility for an attack without risk"

Already in the second or third lap, it was "very tight in the infield," "when I was right behind him. But there was really no opportunity for an attack, which takes place between fellow drivers without risk."

According to Wittmann, the pole also brought Rast the win. "I'm really happy with second place, because at Zandvoort, pole position gives you a huge advantage because you're driving in clean air and don't put as much strain on the tires," explains the Franconian. "That's why he laid the foundation with pole position."

Wittmann, who won at Zandvoort last year and now trails championship leader Lucas Auer by 31 points ahead of his home race at the Norisring, is delighted with his crew: "It's great for the team. They can have a few beers today." Teammate Rast is second, but has only five points more.