Audi’s Miguel Molina says that his RS5 DTM was “perfect on each lap” after the Spaniard scored his third Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters pole position at Oschersleben by more than half a second.
Molina, who has previously been on pole at the circuit in 2011, was 0.509 seconds clear of BMW’s Marco Wittmann after a superb qualifying session saw him compete in a class of his own.
“My third pole position in the DTM, my third one with Audi and Abt: I’m overjoyed,” said the 25-year-old. “Everybody knows how difficult the DTM is – that makes us even happier. Audi Sport and Team Abt Sportsline did an outstanding job and gave me a fantastic car.
“My RS 5 DTM was perfect on each lap and very easy to drive – as a result, this lap time and the unusually large advantage almost happened automatically. I’d like to thank everyone who worked so hard for this.”
Audi’s Head of DTM Dieter Gass paid tribute to the Spaniard’s sensational lap, heralding it as “out of this world”.
“Today, we again saw ‘Magic Molina,’ as Miguel used to be nicknamed in his team,” said Gass. “Taking grid position one with an advantage of half a second is a very rare occurrence in the DTM. This achievement and this lap deserve respect! An advantage of half a second in a qualifying session in normal conditions where the battle is typically about hundreds and tenths of a second is out of this world.”
Gass added that with five Audi’s inside the top ten – more than any other manufacturer – the marque has got off to a strong start. However with heavy rain forecast for Sunday, Gass admits that it could all change on race day.
“Miguel was immediately strong here and, as before at Hockenheim, our RS 5 DTM is running really well too,” added Gass. “Two qualifying sessions and two pole positions in succession – you can’t wish for more than that.
“With four cars on the first three rows we’ve got a very good starting base. But we’re not going to underestimate the competition – and the weather could also be making for additional suspense tomorrow.”