Defending DTM Champion René Rast has taken his and Audi Sport Team Rosberg’s first pole position of 2018 in a dry qualifying session at the Nürburgring.
Gary Paffett’s Mercedes-AMG looked to have done enough in dying embers of the session with a quickest time of 1:22.231s around the 3.1 mile GP-Strecke, only to be pipped by Rast as the chequered flag flew.
Rast’s pole is only the second of the season for Audi, following on from Team Phoenix’s Loic Duval taking pole for the last race in Misano three weeks’ ago.
Bruno Spengler will head up the second row for BMW to make it three manufacturers in the first three grid positions, with the entire 18-car field blanketed by less than a second.
The session proved something of a slow burner with new minimum tyre pressures introduced for this weekend leading to increased warm up times on each set.
Initially Spengler and Paffett debated top spot amongst themselves, before both were undercut by Rast by 0.028 seconds.
Lucas Auer was fourth ahead of an all-BMW third row comprised of Marco Wittmann and Philip Eng’s M4 pairing.
Championship leader Paul Di Resta struggled to eighth, sandwiched in front and behind by the Mercedes’ of Daniel Juncadella and Pascal Wehrlein respectively.
Brazilian Augusto Farfus rounds out the top ten for BMW Team RMG.
Timo Glock and Edoardo Mortara’s flagging title hopes took another hit with just 12th and 15th respectively.
Their chance to make amends will come in the opening race in Germany, scheduled for 13:30 CEST.
Q1 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 33 | René RAST |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 13 | 1:22.203 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 2 | Gary PAFFETT |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport PETRONAS | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 12 | 1:22.231 | 0.028 |
| 3 | 7 | Bruno SPENGLER |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 11 | 1:22.281 | 0.078 |
| 4 | 22 | Lucas AUER |  |
SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG Motorsport | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 12 | 1:22.337 | 0.134 |
| 5 | 11 | Marco WITTMANN | |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 12 | 1:22.350 | 0.147 |
| 6 | 25 | Philipp ENG | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 12 | 1:22.390 | 0.187 |
| 7 | 23 | Daniel JUNCADELLA |  |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport REMUS | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 12 | 1:22.448 | 0.245 |
| 8 | 3 | Paul DI RESTA | |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport REMUS | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 12 | 1:22.530 | 0.327 |
| 9 | 94 | Pascal WEHRLEIN | |
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport PETRONAS | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 12 | 1:22.557 | 0.354 |
| 10 | 15 | Augusto FARFUS |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 13 | 1:22.570 | 0.367 |
| 11 | 99 | Mike ROCKENFELLER | |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:22.585 | 0.382 |
| 12 | 16 | Timo GLOCK | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 12 | 1:22.604 | 0.401 |
| 13 | 47 | Joel ERIKSSON |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 12 | 1:22.639 | 0.436 |
| 14 | 53 | Jamie GREEN | |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:22.677 | 0.474 |
| 15 | 48 | Edoardo MORTARA |  |
SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG Motorsport | Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM | 12 | 1:22.913 | 0.710 |
| 16 | 51 | Nico MÜLLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 13 | 1:22.918 | 0.715 |
| 17 | 4 | Robin FRIJNS |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:23.025 | 0.822 |
| 18 | 28 | Loïc DUVAL |  |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 12 | 1:23.180 | 0.977 |