Lucas Auer picks up the pace in second free practice

The second free practice session of the 2017 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season saw Mercedes-AMG DTM’s Lucas Auer set the pace at the Hockenheimring ahead of first qualifying.

Paul Di Resta and Edoardo Mortara completed the top three, who were separated by 0.184 seconds at the end of the 30-minute session.

FP1 pace setter Di Resta provided the initial benchmark with a 1:34.940 just two minutes in, before Robert Wickens went over seven tenths quicker after five and a half minutes.

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Mercedes continued to dominate the session with Team BWT’s Auer being the first driver to break the 1m34s barrier, followed quickly by Bruno Spengler, Maxime Martin, Wickens and Di Resta. The Scot would also have a left front lock-up in the second sector, going wide on a flying lap.

Spengler would then better his time with a 1:32.944 in the #7 BMW M4 DTM after eight minutes, with Marco Wittmann not having yet set a lap time.

The lap times would further tumble thanks to Team Rosberg’s Nico Müller, who went 0.417 seconds quicker than the 2012 champion.

Müller would still be the fastest of all 18 drivers at the halfway point, before Jamie Green jumped from 13th to quickest by just 0.010 seconds.

Wickens would respond for the Stuttgart marque by setting two successive fastest laps, with a 1:32.016, ahead of the Audi Sport trio of René Rast, Green and Müller.

The push towards qualifying intensified in the last seven minutes, as both Mike Rockenfeller and Maro Engel went into the top three, before Di Resta again went quickest with six minutes remaining.

Auer showed another quick turn of pace in the #22 C63 AMG Coupé, going a tenth quicker than the 2010 champion, with Mortara and Wickens completing the Stuttgart quartet.

Wittmann would jump up the order to sixth ahead of Timo Glock, with the BMWs being around four tenths off the pace set by Auer.

Müller would be ahead of the BMW pair, whilst returnee Engel was eighth, in front of Rockenfeller, with Gary Paffett completing the top ten.

Newcomer Loïc Duval was 16th fastest, 0.846 seconds off the pace, behind Rast and Green, whilst Maxime Martin and Tom Blomqvist completing the time sheets, with the 18 cars separated by 1.234 seconds.

The first qualifying session of the 2017 DTM season gets underway at 1135 CET (BST + 1), lasting for 20 minutes.

Session results

POS	NO	DRIVER	NAT	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	GAP
1	22	Lucas AUER		Mercedes-AMG Motorsport BWT	Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM	19	1:31.712	0.000
2	3	Paul DI RESTA		Mercedes-AMG Motorsport SILBERPFEIL Energy	Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM	20	1:31.815	0.103
3	48	Edoardo MORTARA		Mercedes-AMG Motorsport BWT	Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM	18	1:31.896	0.184
4	6	Robert WICKENS		Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes me	Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM	17	1:32.016	0.304
5	51	Nico MÜLLER		Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	Audi RS5 DTM	15	1:32.045	0.333
6	11	Marco WITTMANN		BMW Team RMG	BMW M4 DTM	11	1:32.114	0.402
7	16	Timo GLOCK		BMW Team RMR	BMW M4 DTM	12	1:32.125	0.413
8	63	Maro ENGEL		Mercedes-AMG Motorsport SILBERPFEIL Energy	Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM	18	1:32.150	0.438
9	99	Mike ROCKENFELLER		Audi Sport Team Phoenix	Audi RS5 DTM	14	1:32.275	0.563
10	2	Gary PAFFETT		Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes me	Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM	18	1:32.282	0.570
11	5	Mattias EKSTRÖM		Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	Audi RS5 DTM	13	1:32.312	0.600
12	7	Bruno SPENGLER		BMW Team RBM	BMW M4 DTM	11	1:32.361	0.649
13	15	Augusto FARFUS		BMW Team RMG	BMW M4 DTM	13	1:32.414	0.702
14	33	René RAST		Audi Sport Team Rosberg	Audi RS5 DTM	13	1:32.415	0.703
15	53	Jamie GREEN		Audi Sport Team Rosberg	Audi RS5 DTM	16	1:32.517	0.805
16	77	Loïc DUVAL		Audi Sport Team Phoenix	Audi RS5 DTM	13	1:32.558	0.846
17	36	Maxime MARTIN		BMW Team RBM	BMW M4 DTM	13	1:32.607	0.895
18	31	Tom BLOMQVIST		BMW Team RMR	BMW M4 DTM	12	1:32.946	1.234