Audi’s Loïc Duval topped the first DTM practice session of the weekend at the Lausitzring, beating BMW’s Marco Wittmann to the top time by over two tenths of a second in a session interrupted by red flags.
Duval, who has only once stood on the podium this year, again proved his practice pace by topping the session with a lap of 1 minute 35.985 seconds, marking the fourth time this year the Frenchman has topped a practice session.
The Team Phoenix racer was the only driver to post a time in the 1 minute 35s, with Wittmann, winner last time out at Brands Hatch, in second.
Audi drivers filled the rest of the top six places, with Jamie Green being third fastest, almost half a second back, ahead of Robin Frijns in fourth.
2017 champion Rast was fifth, ahead of the independent RS5 of WRT’s Pietro Fittipaldi in sixth.
Bruno Spengler was the next-best BMW driver in seventh, ahead of Audi’s Mike Rockenfeller in eighth, BMW’s Timo Glock in ninth and the independent Audi of Jonathan Aberdein in tenth.
The session was briefly red-flagged after just over five minutes when an advertising banner came loose on the track and had to be remedied.
Brit Jake Dennis was the best of the four R-Motorsport Aston Martin drivers in 12th, just behind title contender Nico Müller.
15 of the 18 drivers were covered by a relatively spaced-out two seconds, with the Aston Martin of Paul di Resta being slowest of all, 2.531 seconds adrift.
Second practice takes place at 16:20 CEST (15:20 BST).
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 28 | Loïc DUVAL |  |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 25 | 1:35.985 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 11 | Marco WITTMANN |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 25 | 1:36.217 | 0.232 |
| 3 | 53 | Jamie GREEN |  |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 25 | 1:36.444 | 0.459 |
| 4 | 4 | Robin FRIJNS |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 26 | 1:36.513 | 0.528 |
| 5 | 33 | René RAST | |
Audi Sport Team Rosberg | Audi RS5 DTM | 27 | 1:36.523 | 0.538 |
| 6 | 21 | Pietro FITTIPALDI |  |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 26 | 1:36.643 | 0.658 |
| 7 | 7 | Bruno SPENGLER |  |
BMW Team RMG | BMW M4 DTM | 26 | 1:36.800 | 0.815 |
| 8 | 99 | Mike ROCKENFELLER | |
Audi Sport Team Phoenix | Audi RS5 DTM | 27 | 1:36.833 | 0.848 |
| 9 | 16 | Timo GLOCK | |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 21 | 1:36.844 | 0.859 |
| 10 | 27 | Jonathan ABERDEIN |  |
Audi Sport Team WRT | Audi RS5 DTM | 25 | 1:36.845 | 0.860 |
| 11 | 51 | Nico MÜLLER |  |
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | Audi RS5 DTM | 26 | 1:36.934 | 0.949 |
| 12 | 76 | Jake DENNIS | |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 24 | 1:37.249 | 1.264 |
| 13 | 31 | Sheldon VAN DER LINDE | |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 27 | 1:37.486 | 1.501 |
| 14 | 23 | Daniel JUNCADELLA |  |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 20 | 1:37.598 | 1.613 |
| 15 | 25 | Philipp ENG |  |
BMW Team RMR | BMW M4 DTM | 23 | 1:37.938 | 1.953 |
| 16 | 47 | Joel ERIKSSON |  |
BMW Team RBM | BMW M4 DTM | 22 | 1:38.012 | 2.027 |
| 17 | 62 | Ferdinand VON HABSBURG | |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 24 | 1:38.234 | 2.249 |
| 18 | 3 | Paul DI RESTA | |
R-Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage DTM | 10 | 1:38.516 | 2.531 |