Augusto Farfus has returned to the DTM podium: in Oschersleben, he secured pole position and finished runner-up on the rostrum in his Shell BMW M4 DTM. It was a perfect day for his BMW Team RBM, as Farfus’ team-mate Tom Blomqvist celebrated his first ever DTM victory. It was also the first ever one-two success for BMW Team RBM in DTM.
After he had finished fourth in yesterday’s sprint race, Farfus was confident for today. Everything was set: in the qualifying session this morning, he set the fastest time, securing pole position for the second time this season in his Shell BMW M4 DTM. He shared the front row with his team-mate Blomqvist.
“It was fantastic. Yesterday, I was second on the grid but we managed to improve the car a bit more and got pole again. So let’s make it,” he commented after qualifying.
When the lights went out for the 60-minute race, Farfus and Blomqvist pulled away, with the young Brit having the better start and entering the first corner in the lead in front of Farfus. Over the course of the race, the two BMW Team RBM drivers pulled away from the rest of the field. After one hour, Blomqvist crossed the line as winner and Farfus was runner-up on the podium for the second time this season after Zandvoort. As yesterday, the first four positions went to BMW drivers: Marco Wittmann was third behind Farfus, António Félix da Costa finished fourth.
“I am super happy. I think it could not have been any better,” a delighted Farfus said after the race. “I leave Oschersleben with 30 more points to my name, so it is a great result for us. I am also more than delighted for Tom as well. He did a fantastic job, he was flying in this race, there was not a lot I could do. My start was not good, the clutch was a bit aggressive so I got wheelspin and Tom got by. And then it was just a matter of driving and keeping the car on track. We both had a good pace, he just had a bit more up his sleeve. I am really happy for the team, we all did a fantastic job. A one-two for BMW Team RBM – it could not have been any better.”
On the podium, Farfus had some special company: his daughter Victoria stood next to him on the rostrum. “Victoria wanted to come to the podium as well. I told her: if Daddy goes to the podium, you can come with me, so she was happy and I was happy to bring her with me. She just was afraid when she saw the champagne as she did not know what would happen,” Farfus said with a twinkle in the eye.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Farfus improved to eighth with 73 points. The next DTM round at Nürburgring with race numbers 15 and 16 of the season will be held from 25th to 27th September.
