Bruno Spengler will start his BMW M4 DTM from the 17th spot on the grid. (Photo-BMW AG)

Lausitzring, Germany – Seventh place in the Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM meant that Marco Wittmann (DE) was once again the most successful BMW Motorsport driver in DTM qualifying at the Lausitzring. The BMW Team RMG driver clocked his fastest time of 1:18.143 minutes in the deciding third qualifying session. Pole position went to Pascal Wehrlein (DE, Mercedes).

Timo Glock (DE, DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM) missed out on Q3 by a few thousandths of a second and will start Sunday's race from ninth on the grid. The remaining BMW drivers had to settle for starting positions outside the top ten. Augusto Farfus (BR, Castrol EDGE BMW M4 DTM) was 15th fastest, followed by Maxime Martin (BE, SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM), Bruno Spengler (CA, BMW Bank M4 DTM), António Félix da Costa (PT, Red Bull BMW M4 DTM) and Martin Tomczyk (DE, BMW M Performance Parts M4 DTM) in 16th, 17th, 19th and 21st. Joey Hand (US, Crowne Plaza Hotels BMW M4 DTM) got stuck in a gravel trap after a mistake, causing Q1 to be suspended. He starts from the back of the field in 23rd.

The heavy fog, which meant it was impossible to fly the rescue helicopter for several hours, meant the DTM drivers had only 15 minutes of practice time in the afternoon, after which they went straight into qualifying. The eighth race of the year gets underway at 13:30 on Sunday.

Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director):
"The weather conditions made that a very difficult qualifying. After a short free practice, we were immediately confronted with qualifying. Unfortunately only one of our cars made it through to the third part of qualifying. That does not reflect what we are really capable of. You can depend on Marco Wittmann. He has every chance tomorrow from seventh on the grid. The weather could be the great unknown again on Sunday, which means a lot can happen in the race. Timing was key today – and it goes without saying that additional weight was noticeable. Congratulations to Pascal Wehrlein and Mercedes on pole position. A huge compliment goes to the fans: they stuck it out, although we were only able to offer then a 15-minute practice before qualifying. If tomorrow we show the pace we did in free practice today, then a lot is still possible in the race."

Bruno Spengler (car number 9, BMW Team Schnitzer, 17th):
"Unfortunately we did not go into qualifying with a good basis. The weather conditions meant we did not have the usual two hours of practice to prepare for the sessions. The 15 minutes were too few to adapt to the difficult conditions on the track. In my case, the balance of the car was not good. I had to battle just to get any half-decent lap time. I am obviously disappointed. It will be difficult to finish in the points from 17th on the grid. I am hoping for crazy conditions."

Martin Tomczyk (car number 10, BMW Team Schnitzer, 21st):
"My problems began in free practice, when a technical problem prevented me from driving. It is obviously not ideal to then have to go straight into qualifying without a free practice. Because of this, we start from a difficult position tomorrow."

Joey Hand (car number, BMW Team RBM, 23rd):
"I just had understeer and came off the track. I then slipped on the wet grass and ended up stuck in the gravel. That was that. It was my mistake – I just pushed too hard on the first lap. It definitely had nothing to do with the short free practice. I have driven an entire 24-hour race after just one practice lap in the past."