Marco Wittmann’s road to victory in the 2014 Drivers’ Championship.

Lausitzring (DE), 14th September 2014. From 2013 “Rookie of the Year” to 2014 DTM champion: BMW works driver Marco Wittmann (DE) was crowned champion in only his second season in the DTM. The 24-year-old at the wheel of the Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM claimed his maiden DTM win at the season-opener in Hockenheim (DE) and has led the Drivers’ Championship since round three in Budapest (HU). The result at the Lausitzring (DE) means he has now won the title with races to spare.

 

We have put together a compact review of Marco Wittmann’s road to the title in the 2014 DTM Drivers’ Championship for you.

 

Hockenheim (DE), 4th May. 
A dream come true for Marco Wittmann: having secured his first DTM pole position in Zandvoort (NL) in 2013, the BMW Team RMG driver claims his maiden win at the opening race of his second DTM season in Hockenheim – in doing so, he also earns his place in BMW Motorsport history as the first man to win with the new BMW M4 DTM. At the same time, Wittmann’s success is also the first win for BMW Team RMG in the DTM, and the 60th triumph for BMW in the popular touring car series. Wittmann leads the Drivers’ Championship with 25 points after the first showdown of the year, followed by Mattias Ekström (SE/18 points).

 

Oschersleben (DE), 18th May.
Wittmann goes through an emotional rollercoaster on race Sunday in Oschersleben. Starting from pole, he first leads the second race of the season. Then comes the rain, however. The resulting three safety car periods, together with technical problems, mean he ultimately has to settle for 19th. The BMW Team RMG driver finds himself third in the Drivers’ Championship after round two, five points behind leader Mike Rockenfeller (Audi, DE).

 

Budapest (HU), 1st June.
Wittmann leads from start to finish as the DTM returns to the Hungaroring after a 26-year absence. He first secures pole position in qualifying, before dominating the race to cross the line in first place at the end of the 41 laps. This is Wittmann’s second victory in three races in 2014. With 50 points to his name, he moves back to the top of the standings in the Drivers’ Championship – a position he makes his own for the rest of the season. Rockenfeller follows in second place, 19 points back.

 

Norisring (DE), 29th June.
The rain-dominated home race at the Norisring sees Wittmann finish ahead of his closest rivals in the Drivers’ Championship. Sixth place makes him the best-placed BMW driver and earns him some valuable points at the street circuit in Nürnberg (DE). He makes a cautious start from seventh and, despite tricky conditions, stays clear of all the turmoil. This result allows Wittmann (58 points) to defend his lead in the overall standings. The new second-placed man is Edoardo Mortara (Audi, IT) with 39 points.

 

Moscow (RU), 13th July.
Wittmann shows fighting spirit and extends his lead in the Drivers’ Championship as the DTM makes its second appearance in Russia: in an exciting race, with two safety car periods, he crosses the finish line fourth in the Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM. At the halfway point of the season – after five of ten races – championship leader Wittmann has already amassed 70 points to open up a 20-point lead over his closest rival Ekström.

 

Spielberg (AT), 3rd August.
Dream result against a dream Alpine backdrop: despite racing with an additional 7.5 kilograms of performance weight on board, Wittmann wins his third race of the season as BMW claims a historic quadruple success in Spielberg. However, the race does not initially go entirely to plan for the young German. He drops back to seventh from third on the grid. However, Wittmann keeps his nerve, focusses on the job at hand and works his way back to the front. Victory sees Wittmann extend his overall lead to 39 points.

 

Nürburgring (DE), 17th August.
Wittmann and the Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM once again form an unbeatable pair at the Nürburgring. Starting from pole position, the leader in the Drivers’ Championship claims victory number four of the season at BMW Team RMG’s home race. Wittmann lays the foundation to his success at the very start of the race, defending his lead into turn one. He is then able to pull away from the opposition, only coming under any sort of pressure in the final laps when his prime tyres start to degrade. However, he once again refuses to be beaten and crosses the finish line 1.286 seconds ahead of Rockenfeller to extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 64 points.

 

Lausitzring (DE), 14th September.
The weather is the deciding factor at the eighth race weekend of the season: heavy fog on Saturday means the drivers head straight into qualifying on the back of a 15-minute practice session. Despite this, Wittmann goes seventh fastest to claim a promising starting position for the race. The 52 laps of the Lausitzring on the Sunday are eventful, but Wittmann manages to stay out of trouble despite difficult conditions – the track dries out over the course of the race – and numerous incidents. He comes home sixth to pick up sufficient points to ensure that his rivals in the race for the Drivers’ title can no longer catch him. Wittmann has 128 points, followed by second-placed Christian Vietoris (DE, Mercedes) with 59 points.