Robin Frijns set the pace in the DTM’s first free practice session of the weekend at Zolder, less than a tenth ahead of last weekend’s dominant performer René Rast.
After just four days of respite, the DTM returns to the Belgian circuit for the second of it’s race weekends at Zolder. It is also the third time this season that the DTM has raced on the same circuit for two consecutive weekends.
First practice, being all about longer-distance runs over the 45-minute duration, saw few improvements after the initial flurry of laps.
Rast had been first to set a true benchmark time, the German putting in a lap of 1 minute 19.624 seconds, before Frijns went half a tenth quicker a few minutes later.
The order at the top didn’t change thereafter, leaving Frijns to end the session fastest with a lap which was almost nine seconds faster than last weekend’s best pole time, thanks to the session taking place on a dry circuit.
Rast’s Team Rosberg team-mate Jamie Green was third fastest, over two tenths adrift, ahead of fellow Brit Harrison Newey in fourth as the best of the WRT drivers.
Ferdinand von Habsburg was just 0.017 seconds behind his team-mate in fifth, ahead of championship leader Nico Müller in sixth, the Swiss being 0.360 seconds off the pace.
Jonathan Aberdein was the best BMW driver in seventh, ahead of Audi’s Mike Rockenfeller in eighth.
The top ten was completed by WRT’s Fabio Scherer, fresh from scoring his first points of the season, and BMW’s Sheldon van der Linde.
Audi’s DTM débutant, Benoît Tréluyer, was slowest of all, the Frenchman being some 2.971 seconds off the pace. Tréluyer is standing in for Loïc Duval this weekend, who is racing in North America.
Second practice gets underway at 15:30 BST (16:30 CEST).
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 4 | Robin FRIJNS |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 30 | 1:19.571 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 33 | René RAST |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 30 | 1:19.624 | 0.053 |
| 3 | 53 | Jamie GREEN |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 29 | 1:19.826 | 0.255 |
| 4 | 10 | Harrison NEWEY | |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 29 | 1:19.909 | 0.338 |
| 5 | 62 | Ferdinand VON HABSBURG |  |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 29 | 1:19.926 | 0.355 |
| 6 | 51 | Nico MÜLLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 31 | 1:19.931 | 0.360 |
| 7 | 27 | Jonathan ABERDEIN |  |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 27 | 1:19.949 | 0.378 |
| 8 | 99 | Mike ROCKENFELLER | |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 28 | 1:19.950 | 0.379 |
| 9 | 13 | Fabio SCHERER | |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 29 | 1:20.152 | 0.581 |
| 10 | 31 | Sheldon VAN DER LINDE | |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 30 | 1:20.304 | 0.733 |
| 11 | 16 | Timo GLOCK | |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 28 | 1:20.321 | 0.750 |
| 12 | 25 | Philipp ENG | |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 29 | 1:20.322 | 0.751 |
| 13 | 11 | Marco WITTMANN | |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 28 | 1:20.686 | 1.115 |
| 14 | 22 | Lucas AUER | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 27 | 1:21.057 | 1.486 |
| 15 | 8 | Robert KUBICA |  |
BMW Team ART | Audi RS5 DTM | 29 | 1:21.332 | 1.761 |
| 16 | 19 | Benoît TRÉLUYER |  |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 28 | 1:22.542 | 2.971 |