Race 2
At the end of an authoritative drive at the Norisring, Felipe Fraga clinched a maiden DTM victory, delivering
Ferrari and Red Bull Alphatauri AF Corse their first win of the season. The Brazilian, who is also celebrating
his birthday today, had been fastest at the end of the morning’s qualifying session, ensuring the right to start
ahead of the pack when the gantry lights went out. After the race director’s reprimand following the incidents
at Turn 1 that had provoked repeated Safety Car entrances in Race 1, drivers opted for a more cautious
approach. Fraga defended his position while Guven, slipped from seventh to eighth, but the driver who
replaced Nick Cassidy in this round, after a fine battle with yesterday’s winner Preining, was able to retake
seventh place. At the front of the field Fraga tried to build a small margin over Bortolotti, also setting the
fastest lap in the first part of the race, which turned out to be an altogether smoother affair than the previous
day’s race.
Guven, at the wheel of the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 in Alphatauri livery, entered the pit lane for the obligatory stop
on lap 38, while Fraga carried out the operation nine laps later. The AF Corse mechanics were very lightning
fast – just 7”9 for the tyre change – and the Brazilian was able to return to the lead with more than a
three-second advantage. From there on, Fraga managed the gap to eventually cross the finish line in the top
spot, while Guven posted seventh.
The win will do much to restore morale and confidence for Fraga and Red Bull Alphatauri AF Corse over the
coming DTM races, which will observe a rest period in the coming weeks until racing resumes again on 26-28
August at the Nürburgring.
On the leaderboard, Fraga climbs to sixth position on 50 points, compared to the 89 of the leader of the
standings, Mirko Bortolotti, while Red Bull Alphatauri AF Corse move up to ninth place on 58 points, 53 points
behind the leader, Schubert Motorsport.
Driver Comments
Felipe Fraga
“It’s a fantastic way to celebrate my birthday with my first pole and my first win in the DTM. I am so happy, I
cannot find the words to describe my mood. I want to thank the team, they did a tremendous job after
yesterday’s race. Today during the pit stop they were extraordinary because I went in with a 1”5 lead over the
second and when I came out I had more than two. I want to celebrate with the team because we have been
through some very tough times and now we have a win that I think has been very well deserved.”
Ayhancan Guven
“Second race in the DTM but a different feeling to yesterday’s. We qualified fourth but were sanctioned and
started from seventh place, although we dropped down a place. From that moment on, however, we had a very
good race thanks to a perfect strategy chosen by the team. We overtook an opponent and finished seventh.
I’m pleased and proud of the team, which is back to its winning ways. I learned a lot this weekend that will
come in handy in the future, so thanks to Red Bull, AF Corse and Ferrari for the opportunity and I hope to
return to the DTM soon.”
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