Mercedes Team BWT’s Lucas Auer took another well-earned victory and calmly extended his lead in the drivers’ standings, dominating proceedings for race one at the Lausitzring this afternoon.
The Austrian led a Mercedes 1-2, ahead of Team Mercedes Me’s Robert Wickens, who initially kept in touch with the 22-year-old in the early goings.
Audi Sport’s René Rast was able to take advantage of a late pit stop to take his first podium in the series, ahead of best BMW driver Maxime Martin, with a late-stage battle for fifth place see 2013 champion Mike Rockenfeller keep Gary Paffett at bay.
Despite having started 10th, Edoardo Mortara was another driver that took advantage of being able to work the Hankook tyres for a lengthy stint. The Italian was the last driver to make his mandatory stop, finishing ahead of former stable mate Mattias Ekström in seventh.
A sudden retirement in the form of Nico Müller with just under ten minutes remaining robbed the Swiss driver of a potential eighth place, as his Audi RS5 DTM slowed into the final sector of the 3.476-km circuit.
Maro Engel took another successive points finish in ninth, having made great work throughout the race from his starting position of 13th place, as the German kept out of trouble throughout the 44-lap encounter.
Jamie Green, who had been excluded from qualifying after a tyre allocation mistake, fought his way back to the final points-paying position in tenth, whilst Timo Glock was the next best of the BMWs in 11th.
The Team RMG driver led home Augusto Farfus, Marco Wittmann and Bruno Spengler, who occupied places 12 to 14, with another difficult run for the Munich contingent, even with it being Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt’s 50th birthday.
Tom Blomqvist would be the last of the classified finishers in 17th, but the Brit would find his race compromised by Paul Di Resta on lap 16.
The Scot came out of the pits in front of Blomqvist, Green and Rockenfeller, and the pair clashed going into turn 5, with Di Resta being handed a drive-through penalty.
Loïc Duval, who was given a five-second penalty for jumping the start, would finish ahead of the 2010 champion in 15th place.
As a result, Auer now extends his lead in the standings on 68 points, 34 ahead of Paffett, with Green, Rockenfeller and Rast making three Audi drivers in the top five.
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport BWT continues to lead the team standings on 87 points, 33 ahead of Team Mercedes me, as the Stuttgart brand has streaked away after three races in the manufacturer standings with 156 points, in comparison with Audi on 109 and BMW on 56.
The final free practice session for the DTM at the Motorsport Festival Lausitzring starts at 0900 local time tomorrow morning (Sunday May 21st), lasting for 30 minutes.
Race result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 22 | Lucas AUER |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport BWT | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 44 | 44 LAPS | 1:17.415 | 1 |
| 2 | 6 | Robert WICKENS |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes me | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 44 | 3.613 | 1:17.550 | 2 |
| 3 | 33 | René RAST |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 44 | 12.581 | 1:17.343 | 4 |
| 4 | 36 | Maxime MARTIN |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 44 | 17.660 | 1:17.677 | 3 |
| 5 | 99 | Mike ROCKENFELLER | |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 44 | 17.810 | 1:17.833 | 8 |
| 6 | 2 | Gary PAFFETT |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes me | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 44 | 20.253 | 1:17.771 | 9 |
| 7 | 48 | Edoardo MORTARA |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport BWT | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 44 | 21.366 | 1:17.586 | 10 |
| 8 | 5 | Mattias EKSTRÖM |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 44 | 22.319 | 1:17.719 | 12 |
| 9 | 63 | Maro ENGEL | |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport SILBERPFEIL Energy | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 44 | 26.361 | 1:17.803 | 13 |
| 10 | 53 | Jamie GREEN | |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 44 | 29.960 | 1:17.876 | 18 |
| 11 | 16 | Timo GLOCK | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 44 | 34.423 | 1:17.920 | 5 |
| 12 | 15 | Augusto FARFUS |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 44 | 35.163 | 1:18.147 | 14 |
| 13 | 11 | Marco WITTMANN | |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 44 | 36.280 | 1:18.157 | 11 |
| 14 | 7 | Bruno SPENGLER | |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 44 | 38.467 | 1:18.210 | 17 |
| 15 | 77 | Loïc DUVAL |  |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 44 | 39.577 | 1:17.691 | 15 |
| 16 | 3 | Paul DI RESTA | |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport SILBERPFEIL Energy | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 44 | 48.526 | 1:17.850 | 16 |
| 17 | 31 | Tom BLOMQVIST | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 44 | 1:01.476 | 1:18.428 | 6 |
| R | 51 | Nico MÜLLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 35 | DNF | 1:17.864 | 7 |