Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Van der Linde Takes Sunday Pole at Red Bull Ring as Rookie Wiebelhaus Stuns

Overnight BoP changes reshaped expectations for Race 2.

Overview

  • Kelvin van der Linde, whose BMW was repaired overnight after a Saturday oil‑pump drive issue, topped Sunday qualifying with a 1:27.575, with 21‑year‑old rookie Finn Wiebelhaus just 0.085 seconds back in his Ford.
  • Lucas Auer qualified third ahead of Mercedes teammates Jules Gounon and Maro Engel, setting up a five‑car mix at the front after Saturday’s opener produced an Austrian 1–2 led by winner Thomas Preining.
  • Race control hours after Saturday’s finish converted a penalty lap for Bastian Buus into a five‑second time penalty for contact with Ben Dörr at Turn 1, dropping the Porsche rookie from fourth to 14th in the final classification.
  • Overnight Balance of Performance adjustments trimmed weight and slightly raised turbo boost for several cars, gave the Ford Mustang a larger air restrictor, and allowed BMW to shed 10 kg, which helped shuffle the order in Sunday qualifying.
  • Lamborghini’s new Temerario GT3 remained well off the pace despite a small turbo‑pressure allowance, with team bosses saying late car deliveries and limited testing left the package unready for DTM’s GT3 format that relies on BoP to keep cars competitive.