Audi Sport Team Phoenix’s Mike Rockenfeller continued his dominant practice pace at the Hockenheimring by topping the final practice session of the 2017 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season.
The 2013 champion was quickest in the first and second practice sessions earlier in the weekend, and enjoyed a late-race charge in the penultimate round of the championship yesterday to finish second in race one.
Rockenfeller set a 1:31.269, just 0.023 seconds faster than Mercedes driver Robert Wickens and less than a tenth quicker than Audi stablemate Nico Müller.
In fourth position was 2005 champion Gary Paffett, who was trading places with Wickens for the quickest time midway through the half-hour session.
The fastest BMW driver was defending champion Marco Wittmann, whose time of 1:31.578 meant he completed the top five, 0.013 seconds faster than Maro Engel.
DTM rookie and title contender René Rast placed in seventh position, ahead of current points leader Mattias Ekström.
Maxime Martin and Edoardo Mortara rounded out the top ten, ahead of race one winner Jamie Green, who sits second in the championship standings, nine points adrift of Ekström.
Yesterday’s polesitter Timo Glock failed to set a representative time, and spent the majority of the session with a mechanical issue.
Qualifying for the championship-deciding final round of the DTM season gets underway at 12:00 CEST, lasting for 20 minutes.
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 99 | Mike ROCKENFELLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 18 | 1:31.269 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 6 | Robert WICKENS |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes me | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 17 | 1:31.292 | 0.023 |
| 3 | 51 | Nico MÜLLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 16 | 1:31.330 | 0.061 |
| 4 | 2 | Gary PAFFETT |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes me | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 18 | 1:31.530 | 0.261 |
| 5 | 11 | Marco WITTMANN | |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 13 | 1:31.578 | 0.309 |
| 6 | 63 | Maro ENGEL | |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport SILBERPFEIL Energy | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 15 | 1:31.591 | 0.322 |
| 7 | 33 | René RAST | |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 17 | 1:31.744 | 0.475 |
| 8 | 5 | Mattias EKSTRÖM |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 16 | 1:31.793 | 0.524 |
| 9 | 36 | Maxime MARTIN |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 15 | 1:31.815 | 0.546 |
| 10 | 48 | Edoardo MORTARA |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport BWT | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 13 | 1:31.820 | 0.551 |
| 11 | 53 | Jamie GREEN | |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 20 | 1:31.844 | 0.575 |
| 12 | 22 | Lucas AUER |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport BWT | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 17 | 1:31.900 | 0.631 |
| 13 | 3 | Paul DI RESTA | |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport SILBERPFEIL Energy | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 17 | 1:32.077 | 0.808 |
| 14 | 15 | Augusto FARFUS |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 15 | 1:32.080 | 0.811 |
| 15 | 31 | Tom BLOMQVIST | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 14 | 1:32.088 | 0.819 |
| 16 | 77 | Loïc DUVAL |  |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 18 | 1:32.237 | 0.968 |
| 17 | 7 | Bruno SPENGLER | |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 16 | 1:32.237 | 0.968 |
| 18 | 16 | Timo GLOCK | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 4 | 1:40.379 | 9.110 |