- All four Mercedes-AMG drivers collect important championship points in Sunday’s race
- Lucas Auer and Mercedes-AMG defend their lead in the drivers‘ and manufacturers’ standings
- Thomas Jäger: “We didn’t realise our full potential this weekend.”
Despite challenging conditions, Mercedes-AMG scored valuable championship points at the DTM race weekend at Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands — the first international stop of the 2025 season. All four Mercedes-AMG drivers finished Sunday’s race in the points. Maro Engel (GER) achieved the best result in the second race, finishing in fifth place. The 39-year-old, who races for Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing, had started the race in twelfth place on the grid. Jules Gounon (FRA) started the race in fourth place. Meanwhile, Tom Kalender (GER) and Lucas Auer (AUT) qualified in ninth and eleventh places respectively, after a change to the timetable meant that qualifying took place on Friday evening.
Maro Engel demonstrated his routine right from the start and was able to improve to seventh position by lap five. After the first of two mandatory pit stops, the Mercedes-AMG driver found himself in fifth place, which he confidently took to the chequered flag. Championship leader Lucas Auer followed his brand colleague in his race to catch up and was back in seventh place after the second stop. Jules Gounon dropped back several positions due to a penalty lap he received for exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane at the first pit stop and finished eighth. Tom Kalender took the flag in P15 and scored his second DTM championship point.
Saturday: Fourth place for Lucas Auer in tyre poker at Zandvoort
In Saturday morning’s time trials, Maro Engel (P2), Lucas Auer (P6), Jules Gounon (P9) and Tom Kalender (P10) all qualified for a top 10 grid position. Despite the promising starting positions, the changeable weather conditions in the afternoon presented the drivers with challenges. As the track dried out, an intense tyre gamble developed in which the Mercedes-AMG Teams lacked the necessary luck. Lucas Auer was rewarded for a flawless race with fourth place, Maro Engel was ninth, Jules Gounon finished 14th and Tom Kalender was 17th.
Although the Mercedes-AMG Teams were unable to fully build on their strong start to the season at Zandvoort, they still maintained their lead in the DTM drivers’ and manufacturers’ standings. Lucas Auer continues to lead the drivers’ championship with 91 points, giving him a 13-point advantage. Mercedes-AMG also remains in first place in the manufacturers’ championship, 30 points ahead.
Figures, Data, Facts
| Conditions:- Race 1: Changeable weather with rain showers, track temperature: 19 degrees Celsius – Race 2: dry and cloudy, track temperature: 23 degrees Celsius – Race weekend spectators: 32,000 |
| 1000th DTM point for Lucas Auer after P4 in Saturday’s race |
| Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing completes fastest pit stop in both races:- Saturday: #48 Jules Gounon (6.5 seconds) – Sunday: #48 Jules Gounon (6.3) |
| Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf takes the lead in the DTM Pit Stop Challenge (11 points)- Oschersleben R1: #22 Lucas Auer (6.3 seconds) – Lausitzring R1: #22 Lucas Auer (6.5) – Lausitzring R2: #22 Lucas Auer (6.4) – Zandvoort R1: #22 Lucas Auer (6.7) – Zandvoort R2: #22 Lucas Auer (6.4) |
| Best qualifying results for 17-year-old Tom Kalender in his DTM career:- Zandvoort Q1: P10 – Zandvoort Q2: P9 |
| Mercedes-AMG leads the drivers‘ and manufacturers’ championships:- Drivers’ championship: P1 Lucas Auer (91 points) – Manufacturers’ championship: P1 Mercedes-AMG (182) |
| Preview:- The next DTM race weekend will take place at the Norisring from 4 to 6 July – Last season, Maro Engel finished second in Sunday’s race |
“It was a solid weekend for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to realise our full potential, as a few mistakes happened during the races that prevented a better result. Nevertheless, it was a strong overall performance. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 worked well in the dry, in the wet and in mixed conditions. But now we have to regain the strength we showed on the first two race weekends.“
Thomas Jäger, Sporting Director DTM
“It was a difficult race for us today. My mistake at the pit stop cost me a safe fifth place. Overall, we struggled with the tyres throughout the weekend. As a result, we lost some points in the championship. But the season is still long and we will continue to give our all.“
Jules Gounon, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER #48
“Sunday’s race was good. To move up from twelfth to fifth place is a fantastic achievement. The pit stops were great again, thanks to my team. It was obviously unfortunate for me on Saturday, but that can’t be changed. So now we have to wipe our mouths and get on with it so that things go better again next weekend at the Norisring.“
Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing #24
“In general, I’m very happy with both races. On Saturday, we did a really good job in the mixed conditions. Today we might have been able to finish fifth. We tried both an undercut and an overcut. Unfortunately, I couldn’t utilise either strategy. My 1000th DTM point is a nice side effect of this weekend. I’m already looking forward to the Norisring.“
Lucas Auer, Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf #22
“Overall, it was a positive weekend for me after I struggled at Oschersleben and the Lausitzring. Both qualifying sessions here were very good. In the first race, I had a puncture on lap one, which cost me a better position. Today I had some problems on the old tyre at the start. I then found my rhythm after the pit stop.“
Tom Kalender, Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf #84
