Loïc Duval says that he does not believe that claiming pole position will be ‘that important’ for the DTM races at Assen, as the Frenchman pointed at tyre management as being a more crucial factor for the race.
Duval, currently eighth in the drivers’ championship standings, claimed his first pole position of the season on Saturday, edging out Robin Frijns by less than a tenth of a second.
But the 38-year-old insists that starting at the front is not that important for the race later in the day, as tyre wear and strategy come into play during the race.
“Honestly, the qualifying I think is not that important here this weekend, even though it’s always better to start at the front,” said Duval, who scored only his second-ever DTM pole.
“We saw yesterday a lot of damage on the tyres and difficult to make into a long stint, so I would prefer to have a really consistent car without any trouble with the tyres in the race than being on pole.”
Duval is aiming to consistently manage his tyres in the race, as the last time out at the Lausitzring saw BMW claim a first win of the year with an effective tyre management strategy for Lucas Auer and Timo Glock.
“I’m not going to lie it’s always great for the team as a reward and for myself to do a pole.
“But the game changer this afternoon will really be the consistency through the race.”