Marco Wittmann topped the times in first practice for the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) at the Moscow Raceway, as BMW drivers filled six of the top ten positions.
BMW drivers were on top of the times throughout the 50-minute session, with Wittmann rising to the top just eight minutes in.
Audi’s championship leader Mattias Ekström ended the session second fastest, 0.264 seconds slower than the reigning champion, with just three of the Ingolstadt cars inside the top ten.
BMW and Audi alternated the top four, with Schnitzer’s Bruno Spengler in third ahead of Team Abt’s Edoardo Mortara in fourth.
BMW Team RBM’s Augusto Farfus was fifth, ahead of the second Schnitzer car of António Félix da Costa in sixth.
Audi’s Miguel Molina ended up in seventh, ahead of German BMW duo Martin Tomczyk and Timo Glock, with the former having posted the fastest time in the opening minutes of the session.
Mercedes-Benz struggled for form in the session, with tenth-placed Daniel Jnucadella the fastest driver for the Stuttgart marque, ahead of ART’s Gary Paffett in 11th.
2014 race winner Maxime Martin struggled for pace on the circuit where he scored his only win to-date in the series, posting the 19th fastest time.
Rookie Antonio Giovinazzi was 23rd fastest for Audi, with the Italian a last-minute replacement for the banned Timo Scheider.
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 1 | Marco WITTMANN |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 19 | 1:29.076 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 5 | Mattias EKSTRÖM |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 24 | 1:29.340 | 0.264 |
| 3 | 7 | Bruno SPENGLER |  |
BMW Team MTEK | BMW M4 DTM | 20 | 1:29.379 | 0.303 |
| 4 | 48 | Edoardo MORTARA |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt | Audi RS5 DTM | 25 | 1:29.498 | 0.422 |
| 5 | 18 | Augusto FARFUS |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 21 | 1:29.584 | 0.508 |
| 6 | 13 | António Félix da COSTA |  |
BMW Team Schnitzer | BMW M4 DTM | 21 | 1:29.585 | 0.509 |
| 7 | 17 | Miguel MOLINA |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 20 | 1:29.610 | 0.534 |
| 8 | 77 | Martin TOMCZYK | |
BMW Team Schnitzer | BMW M4 DTM | 20 | 1:29.648 | 0.572 |
| 9 | 16 | Timo GLOCK | |
BMW Team MTEK | BMW M4 DTM | 20 | 1:29.686 | 0.610 |
| 10 | 12 | Daniel JUNCADELLA | |
PETRONAS Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 26 | 1:29.696 | 0.620 |
| 11 | 2 | Gary PAFFETT |  |
EURONICS / BWT Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 20 | 1:29.717 | 0.641 |
| 12 | 31 | Tom BLOMQVIST | |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 21 | 1:29.722 | 0.646 |
| 13 | 27 | Adrien TAMBAY |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt | Audi RS5 DTM | 21 | 1:29.767 | 0.691 |
| 14 | 99 | Mike ROCKENFELLER | |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 23 | 1:29.768 | 0.692 |
| 15 | 53 | Jamie GREEN | |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 25 | 1:29.769 | 0.693 |
| 16 | 94 | Pascal WEHRLEIN | |
gooix / Original-Teile Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 21 | 1:29.851 | 0.775 |
| 17 | 3 | Paul di RESTA | |
SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 17 | 1:29.904 | 0.828 |
| 18 | 8 | Christian VIETORIS | |
gooix / Original-Teile Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 16 | 1:29.926 | 0.850 |
| 19 | 36 | Maxime MARTIN |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 22 | 1:29.958 | 0.882 |
| 20 | 6 | Robert WICKENS | |
SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 18 | 1:29.989 | 0.913 |
| 21 | 22 | Lucas AUER |  |
EURONICS / BWT Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 24 | 1:30.032 | 0.956 |
| 22 | 51 | Nico MÜLLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 23 | 1:30.135 | 1.059 |
| 23 | 93 | Antonio GIOVINAZZI | |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 24 | 1:30.206 | 1.130 |
| 24 | 84 | Maximilian GÖTZ | |
PETRONAS Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 27 | 1:30.306 | 1.230 |