Lucas Auer topped the time sheets in the first Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters practice session of the race weekend at Circuit Park Zandvoort, leading a Mercedes top three ahead of title contenders Edoardo Mortara and Gary Paffett.
The top three were separated by 0.121 seconds, ahead of a closely-packed grid, with the top sixteen split by less than a second after the 30-minute session.
Nico Müller was the best of the Audi Sport contingent, posting the fourth fastest time of a 1:32.520 around the 4.307-km circuit, with Loïc Duval rounding out the top five.
2015 champion Pascal Werhlein was the next best placed driver from Stuttgart in sixth place, whilst none of the BMW ranks made it into the top ten.
Defending champion René Rast was seventh, ahead of Ingolstadt stable mate Mike Rockenfeller, who crashed out with just under five minutes left, with the remaining C63 AMG Coupés of both Paul Di Resta and Daniel Juncadella rounding out the top ten.
Local driver Robin Frijns was able to finish 11th at the end of the session, as the Dutchman guided his RS5 DTM to a best effort of a 1:32.991, 0.595 seconds off the pace set by Auer.
Norisring race two winner Marco Witmann was the best of the Munich drivers down in twelfth, ahead of Team Rosberg’s Jamie Green.
Philipp Eng and Joel Eriksson were slower than the Briton, but were under investigation along with Frijns for slow zone infringements, whilst Timo Glock, Bruno Spengler and Augusto Farfus completed the time sheets.
Free practice two gets underway at 0920 CET (BST + 1 hour), lasting for 30 minutes.
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 22 | Lucas AUER |  |
SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG Motorsport | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 19 | 1:32.396 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 48 | Edoardo MORTARA |  |
SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG Motorsport | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 20 | 1:32.452 | 0.056 |
| 3 | 2 | Gary PAFFETT |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport PETRONAS | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 15 | 1:32.517 | 0.121 |
| 4 | 51 | Nico MÜLLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 18 | 1:32.520 | 0.124 |
| 5 | 28 | Loïc DUVAL |  |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 18 | 1:32.751 | 0.355 |
| 6 | 94 | Pascal WEHRLEIN |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport PETRONAS | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 20 | 1:32.754 | 0.358 |
| 7 | 33 | René RAST | |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 17 | 1:32.777 | 0.381 |
| 8 | 99 | Mike ROCKENFELLER | |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 14 | 1:32.795 | 0.399 |
| 9 | 3 | Paul DI RESTA | |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport REMUS | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 20 | 1:32.899 | 0.503 |
| 10 | 23 | Daniel JUNCADELLA |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport REMUS | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 19 | 1:32.904 | 0.508 |
| 11 | 4 | Robin FRIJNS |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 20 | 1:32.991 | 0.595 |
| 12 | 11 | Marco WITTMANN | |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 14 | 1:33.043 | 0.647 |
| 13 | 53 | Jamie GREEN | |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 19 | 1:33.161 | 0.765 |
| 14 | 25 | Philipp ENG | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 18 | 1:33.173 | 0.777 |
| 15 | 47 | Joel ERIKSSON |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 15 | 1:33.322 | 0.926 |
| 16 | 16 | Timo GLOCK | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 17 | 1:33.380 | 0.984 |
| 17 | 7 | Bruno SPENGLER |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 18 | 1:33.546 | 1.150 |
| 18 | 15 | Augusto FARFUS |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 8 | 1:34.799 | 2.403 |