Daniel Juncadella was a very happy individual, having had his best DTM results of his career, taking pole position for the second race of the weekend and taking his maiden podium after a tense battle between himself, Edoardo Mortara and race winner Marco Wittmann.
The Spaniard, to date, has secured fourth place finishes on several occasions, but had yet to finish on the podium until today’s race
With a combination of showcasing good race pace and strategy with the team at the 2.3km circuit, it paid dividends, as he also sported a jersey over his race suit at the podium, paying tribute to a very good friend that passed away last year.
“I am definitely satisfied with the way today went. I finally got my first pole position, and of all weekends, it was at the Norisring, one of the highlights of the year,” admitted Juncadella, who was ecstatic after so many difficult seasons in the DTM, and praised his team for their efforts.
“My car was incredibly strong today, so I have to thank my entire team. On this track, anything can happen in the race.
“It is easy to overtake here, and at the same time it is not easy to get the tyres up to temperature. After my stop, I had some difficulties and had to surrender the lead to Marco (Wittmann). He was very fast, and Edo was also very good.”
The 27-year-old felt that it was a risk to go for the win, but hopes to again be at the sharp end.
“Towards the end, my pace got better again, but the last ten laps always involve a bit of risk. I’m satisfied with P3, but next time, I will hopefully be right at the front.”