After a 12 months of many ups and downs, the 2024 DTM season is prepared for an epic climax at Hockenheim this weekend. Three drivers, representing as many teams and producers, are in pursuit of their maiden title inside the prestigious German sequence.
Principal the standings is manufacturing unit Lamborghini man Mirko Bortolotti, who’s desperate to avenge his slim loss to Porsche’s Thomas Preining in 2023. The Italian sits 15 elements away from Abt Audi driver Kelvin van der Linde, whereas Mercedes’ Maro Engel is one different 5 elements adrift in third for Winward Racing.
Every Bortolotti and van der Linde have scored a minimal of 1 win to date, whereas Engel’s title price has been constructed on consistency, having accomplished on the podium in seven of the 16 races to date in 2024.
A whole of 56 elements are on present on the Hockenheimring double header, with 25 going to the winner of each race and three additional elements granted for pole place in every qualifying durations.
How Mirko Bortolotti can win the 2024 DTM title
Podium: Race winner Mirko Bortolotti, SSR Effectivity
Image by: Alexander Trienitz
Bortolotti is the one driver who can protected the title on Saturday. To take motion, he should ranking a minimal of 14 elements higher than van der Linde and eight elements higher than Engel on the opening day of racing. That may give him an insurmountable lead heading into Sunday.
Which suggests if Bortolotti takes pole place and wins on Saturday, he can seal the title if van der Linde rival finishes fifth or lower and Engel does not end up on the podium. Even a fourth place for van der Linde would suffice for Bortolotti if his South African rival qualifies lower than second and does not ranking the additional two elements.
If Bortolotti finishes sixth or a lot much less inside the first race, the battle will go down the wire on Sunday regardless of how his two rivals perform.
If the SSR Lamborghini driver does not ranking any elements in Saturday qualifying, even a fourth place would ensure that the title battle will most likely be chosen the ultimate day of the season.
However, the Italian does not primarily should battle for victory inside the remaining weekend: two podium finishes, each second or third, would maybe be adequate for Bortolotti to protected the coveted DTM crown for the first time. On account of then van der Linde should win a minimal of considered one of many two races to swing the battle in his favour.
How Kelvin van der Linde can turn into the 2024 champion
Kelvin van der Linde, Group ABT Sportsline Audi R8 LMS GT3
Image by: Alexander Trienitz
The elder of the van der Linde brothers couldn’t be able to emulate Sheldon’s 2022 success on his private. Even a really perfect weekend, with two wins and two poles, would not guarantee the South African the championship.
If Bortolotti had been to watch him and finish second in every races and qualifying durations, the Lamborghini driver would nonetheless end up three elements clear. On his remaining weekend driving an Audi, the Abt driver may subsequently need some misfortune to hit his chief rival with a objective to win a title that slipped from his grasp inside the controversial 2021 finale.
For the 28-year-old, it should doubtless be very important to make up as many elements as attainable on Saturday to take care of himself inside the battle. He cannot afford to lose higher than 14 elements to Bortolotti on the first of the two race days if he wants in order so as to add a DTM title to a CV that options two ADAC GT Masters titles, and as many wins inside the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
If van der Linde driver finishes ahead of Bortolotti, the title will definitely not be decided until Sunday. Regardless of the place Bortolotti finishes on Saturday, he would protect the title battle open with a podium finish inside the first race.
However, it is going to be advisable to win from pole place in a minimal of considered one of many two remaining races in Hockenheim. This may significantly improve van der Linde’s potentialities of success. If he manages to realize this feat on Saturday and Bortolotti solely finishes fourth, the two drivers will most likely be diploma on elements on the excessive of the desk as soon as extra sooner than the ultimate race.
If Bortolotti and van der Linde finish the season with the an identical number of elements, the latter would have a decisive profit regardless of the Hockenheim outcomes. On account of whereas the Lamborghini driver celebrated his first victory of the season solely closing time at Spielberg, van der Linde has already been on the very best step of the podium twice this 12 months. Within the occasion that they end up diploma on elements, the number of wins will resolve who will get to hold the championship trophy.
How Maro Engel can win the 2024 DTM title
Mirko Bortolotti, SSR Effectivity, Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Group WINWARD
Image by: Alexander Trienitz
Maro Engel has the underside probability of all three title contenders. If the Mercedes-AMG driver wouldn’t take any risks on Saturday, he should bury his title hopes early.
That’s because of if Bortolotti scores a minimal of eight elements higher than him inside the first race, he would already be out of the championship reckoning.
If Bortolotti ends up third on Saturday, Engel should finish between fourth to seventh, counting on the qualifying consequence, with a objective to remain inside the title hunt. Must Bortolotti finish second, the newly-crowned GT World Drawback Europe Sprint Cup champion would even have to finish on the podium to care for his title possibilities.
If Bortolotti manages a really perfect Saturday, following up pole place with victory, Engel could possibly be left in a precarious state of affairs. He should qualify inside the excessive three and finish the race in second place to take care of a mathematical probability of profitable the title.
Second place on Sunday could possibly be adequate to finish the 12 months on the an identical number of elements, nevertheless Bortolotti would have additional wins to his title.
It isn’t unlikely that the number of victories will in the long run resolve who wins the 2024 DTM title. In plenty of calculations, Bortolotti and Engel end up on the an identical number of elements. The Mercedes-AMG driver would subsequently be properly advised to put all on the highway to win Saturday’s race.
Then he would not solely ranking an enormous chunk of things and protect his small hope of profitable the title alive, nevertheless would even have – just like Bortolotti – a victory beneath his belt.
Within the occasion that they finish equal on elements and race wins, the number of second areas would resolve and Engel is in the mean time ahead with 5 second areas as compared with 4 for Bortolotti.
Teams’ and producers’ titles
René Rast, Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3
Image by: Alexander Trienitz
BMW squad Schubert Motorsport leads the championship by 39 elements over Abt, having benefitted from its standing as a result of the DTM’s solely three-car workforce.
Winward, SSR Effectivity and HRT – the Mercedes squad welcoming Jules Gounon for his sequence debut this weekend reasonably than an unwell Luca Stolz – are moreover very so much inside the physique for the title.
Throughout the producers’ championship, Mercedes is on excessive with 384 elements, adopted by Lamborghini (360), BMW (337) and Audi (301).
Hockenheim is poised to be Audi’s remaining look inside the DTM, with long-time affiliate Abt splitting with the German marque to hitch forces with Lamborghini.
