Robin Frijns further cut Nico Müller’s championship lead with pole position for the second DTM race on the Nürburgring Sprint circuit, as WRT’s Ferdinand von Habsburg put his independent Audi in second.
Frijns was quickest in the first flurry of laps in the 20-minute qualifying session, before the Dutchman then improved again by almost four tenths to secure his fifth pole position of the season ahead of Habsurg.
Championship leader Müller had been second in the early running, before Austrian Habsburg went second, exactly two tenths slower than Frijns, on his final lap.
Habsburg was set to take a five-place grid penalty for having picked up his third warning of the season, but this was overturned before the race, leaving Habsburg able to assume his front row start.
Müller managed to improve his early time to secure third, and an extra championship point, 0.268 seconds slower than his Abt Sportsline team-mate.
René Rast, frustrated with the balance of his car, was fourth, the reigning champion over three tenths slower than Frijns as the German found just under two tenths during the session.
Marco Wittmann was BMW’s best driver in fifth, half a tenth back from Rast, ahead of fellow BMW driver Sheldon van der Linde in sixth.
BMW team ART’s Robert Kubica was a season-best seventh, just over half a second off the pace, ahead of Team RMG’s Timo Glock in eighth.
The top ten was completed by BMW Team RMR’s Lucas Auer and Audi’s Jamie Green.
WRT’s Harrison Newey qualified in 13th but the Brit faces a five-place grid penalty for having picked up his third warning of the season, dropping him to the back.
Race two is scheduled to get underway at 13:30 CEST (12:30 BST).
Qualifying results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 4 | Robin FRIJNS |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:19.117 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 62 | Ferdinand VON HABSBURG |  |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:19.317 | 0.200 |
| 3 | 51 | Nico MÜLLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 11 | 1:19.385 | 0.268 |
| 4 | 33 | René RAST |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:19.452 | 0.335 |
| 5 | 11 | Marco WITTMANN | |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 11 | 1:19.502 | 0.385 |
| 6 | 31 | Sheldon VAN DER LINDE |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 12 | 1:19.691 | 0.574 |
| 7 | 8 | Robert KUBICA |  |
BMW Team ART | Audi RS5 DTM | 11 | 1:19.697 | 0.580 |
| 8 | 16 | Timo GLOCK | |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 11 | 1:19.717 | 0.600 |
| 9 | 22 | Lucas AUER | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 12 | 1:19.738 | 0.621 |
| 10 | 53 | Jamie GREEN |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:19.740 | 0.623 |
| 11 | 25 | Philipp ENG | |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 12 | 1:19.839 | 0.722 |
| 12 | 99 | Mike ROCKENFELLER | |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:19.846 | 0.729 |
| 13 | 10 | Harrison NEWEY | |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 7 | 1:19.865 | 0.748 |
| 14 | 28 | Loïc DUVAL |  |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:19.891 | 0.774 |
| 15 | 27 | Jonathan ABERDEIN | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 11 | 1:20.206 | 1.089 |
| 16 | 13 | Fabio SCHERER | |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 11 | 1:20.267 | 1.150 |