Green wins Hockenheim DTM Race 1

Audi driver Jamie Green scored his third win of the season in the opening DTM race at Hockenheim. Behind him, fellow Audi driver Mike Rockenfeller crossed the finish line in second place and completed the 1-2 for Audi. Third place went to BMW driver Timo Glock, who had started the race from pole position.

"I particularly enjoyed the duel with Timo. That was good racing and it was fair throughout," said Green.

Polesitter Glock, who was firstly overtaken by Green after a few laps and then by Rockenfeller on the final lap, was still happy with third place.

"We knew that Audi would be very strong over the distance," Glock said. "I then concentrated on a good start after my pole position and pull a gap. When Jamie came to the fore, I had no way to defend."

Rockenfeller benefited from a late pit stop on lap 23. After his stop, Rockenfeller passed one opponent after another and worked his way up into third place. On the final lap, he also overtook Glock and came home in second place.

"That was a race I really enjoyed. From seventh place on the grid, I made my way to the front and gained the positions on the track. With the fresh tires, it was no problem," the 2013 DTM champion said.

Maxime Martin, who started from second place on the front row, just missed out on a podium finish in fourth position. Mercedes-AMG driver Edoardo Mortara finished fifth ahead of title candidate Rene Rast. Robert Wickens, Lucas Auer, Gary Paffett and Bruno Spengler took the final point-scoring positions in that order.

Prior to the 18th and final race of the season on Sunday, one thing is already clear: the 2017 DTM champion will be driving an Audi RS 5 DTM. Eleventh in today's race, Mattias Ekstrom didn't score any points and he saw his margin over his rivals reduced from 21 to nine points.

With Ekstrom (172 points), Green (163), Rast (159) and Rockenfeller (152), only four Audi drivers still have chances of the DTM championship title. Ekstrom and Green, however, will be handicapped for the finale: after his third warning, Ekstrom will be dropped five places on the starting grid while Green already received his fifth warning and therefore will be dropped ten positions.

The battles for the manufacturers' and teams' championships were already decided: prior to the final race of the season, Audi is almost 200 points ahead. The brand from Ingolstadt can no longer be passed by Mercedes-AMG and BMW. In the teams' standings, the Audi Sport Team Rosberg with Green and Rast is also beyond reach.