Audi’s championship leader Nico Müller admits that ‘the hunger for victory is getting bigger again’ after the Swiss saw his points lead eroded for the fourth race in a row at Assen.
Müller kept his impressive season going with another podium in race two at Assen – his seventh from eight races so far – but also saw his series lead eaten into by team-mate Robin Frijns.
The Abt Sportsline driver had qualified in fourth for Sunday’s second race, and found the conditions following other cars especially tricky with significant spray caused by the wet weather.
Having dropped back to fifth at the start behind Ferdinand von Habsburg, Müller moved back up to fourth on lap 11 before ultimately claiming third by passing Loïc Duval and René Rast in a strong mid-race stint on laps 15 and 18.
Müller’s third on Sunday came after he had finished race one also in third a day earlier, taking his 2020 tally to 164 points, 26 ahead of Frijns.
“A very entertaining race, not just for the spectators, but also from the driver’s perspective,” said Müller. “The start was really good, but the first laps weren’t.
“After a good start, I was stuck behind Loïc and Robin. It was annoying that I again lost several places on the first lap.
“The poor visibility in the rain made it very difficult to catch up. Driving behind in the spray is tough, you can hardly see anything. After I lost positions, I was able to stabilise.
“Nevertheless, I managed to work my way up to second behind Robin.”
After winning the first three races of the season, including race two at Spa where on-the-road winner Rast was penalised, Müller has not won since. The 28-year-old admits he is keen to stand on the top step of the podium once again.
“BMW managed a pretty smart move with the early pit stop for Sheldon. The red flag of course helped them even more.
“Even though we were unable to get the maximum out of it today, it was a good recovery.
“The hunger for victory is definitely getting bigger again.”