BMW’s best finisher in Sunday’s second DTM race at the Nürburgring, Sheldon van der Linde, has said it ‘hurts to see three Audis on the podium’ after the Ingolstadt marque once again dominated proceedings.
Whilst South African van der Linde fought his way from seventh on the grid to sixth in the race, BMW were once again outclassed by Audi, which locked out the top five positions.
Robin Frijns claimed his second win of the year, as BMW drivers found themselves fighting for the scraps, with only four M4 drivers in the top ten.
Van der Linde, who is one of only two BMW drivers to have a won a race so far in 2020, was pleased with his performances relative to his colleagues, but lamented the manufacturer’s relative lack of speed compared to the Audis.
“Personally speaking, I am very pleased,” said van der Linde. “I think that today was a perfect race from a tactical point of view, and my pace.
“My start was not so good as I lost two positions, but I got those back right away at the end of the lap.
“I am happy with the points that I scored for finishing sixth today, as the best BMW driver. Thanks to my team.
“Nonetheless, it hurts to see three Audis on the podium. We must make sure that we close the gap as I want to get back to the podium soon.”
Van der Linde is the best-placed BMW driver in the championship standings with 72 points, a huge 133 behind series leader Nico Müller – more than five race wins worth of points adrift.