Audi Sport Team Rosberg’s Jamie Green stole Sunday pole at the Nürburgring from teammate René Rast by only a thousandth of a second, the latter is in a position to win the DTM championship this afternoon.
Green scored his 15th pole of his DTM career, and his first at the iconic Eifel circuit.
With qualifying taking place half an hour earlier than yesterday, drivers were subject to cooler track conditions and were required to take up to three laps to warm the Hankook tyres sufficiently.
The first competitive times were recorded with 13 minutes to go as Audi Sport Team Phoenix’s Mike Rockenfeller set a time of 1 minute 20.438 seconds.
However, Rockenfeller didn’t stay top for long, as a minute later Rast lowered the bar first to 1 minute 20.297 seconds, and then by a further two tenths to top the timesheets as drivers headed to pitlane midway through the session.
With around five minutes to go the grid returned to the track to set up one final run at improving their grid position.
A number of drivers went quick, but none were able to break into the 1 minute 19’s like in Saturday qualifying.
Rast lowered the target for those around him but by only half a tenth, leaving him open to a challenge.
With only a minute left on the clock Green knocked his teammate Rast off the pole by a singular thousandth of a second, with first to 15th separated by half a second.
The two Team Rosberg cars lock out the front row, with Rockenfeller third only 0.075 seconds back.
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline’s Robin Frijns was one of several drivers to improve in the final moments, his time of 1 minute 20.122 seconds was still within a tenth of Green’s pole time.
Audi Sport Team WRT’s Jonathan Aberdein will start this afternoon’s race from the same position as Saturday’s round, in fifth place.
Audi Sport Team Phoenix’s Loïc Duval was another driver to improve in the final few minutes, jumping to sixth with a time of 1 minute 20.220.
The first of the BMW’s came in the form of Team RMR’s Timo Glock in seventh, setting a time of 1 minute 20.270 seconds, and will be joined on the fourth row of the grid by Team RMG’s Marco Wittmann whose fastest time was 1 minute 20.312 seconds.
The second Team RMG car of Bruno Spengler will line up ninth, alongside BMW Team RBM’s Sheldon Van der Linde who rounds out the top ten only 0.310 seconds slower than Green’s pole lap.
It was difficult qualifying for the sole remaining challenger to Rast’s title charge, Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline’s Nico Müller was unable to break into the top ten, 0.463 seconds slower than pole.
Ferdinand Von Habsburg was the fastest of the R-Motorsports run Aston Martin’s, setting a time of 1 minute 20.633, only sixth tenths slower than pole.
Qualifying result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 53 | Jamie GREEN |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 11 | 1:20.032 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 33 | René RAST |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 11 | 1:20.033 | 0.001 |
| 3 | 99 | Mike ROCKENFELLER | |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:20.107 | 0.075 |
| 4 | 4 | Robin FRIJNS |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 11 | 1:20.122 | 0.090 |
| 5 | 27 | Jonathan ABERDEIN |  |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:20.171 | 0.139 |
| 6 | 28 | Loïc DUVAL |  |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:20.220 | 0.188 |
| 7 | 16 | Timo GLOCK | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 12 | 1:20.270 | 0.238 |
| 8 | 11 | Marco WITTMANN | |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 10 | 1:20.312 | 0.280 |
| 9 | 7 | Bruno SPENGLER |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 10 | 1:20.317 | 0.285 |
| 10 | 31 | Sheldon VAN DER LINDE | |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 11 | 1:20.342 | 0.310 |
| 11 | 25 | Philipp ENG |  |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 12 | 1:20.344 | 0.312 |
| 12 | 21 | Pietro FITTIPALDI |  |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:20.445 | 0.413 |
| 13 | 47 | Joel ERIKSSON |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 12 | 1:20.489 | 0.457 |
| 14 | 51 | Nico MÜLLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:20.495 | 0.463 |
| 15 | 62 | Ferdinand VON HABSBURG | |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 11 | 1:20.633 | 0.601 |
| 16 | 23 | Daniel JUNCADELLA |  |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 11 | 1:20.946 | 0.914 |
| 17 | 76 | Jake DENNIS | |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 12 | 1:21.061 | 1.029 |
| 18 | 3 | Paul DI RESTA | |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 1 | No time | N/A |