An interview with Marco Wittmann:
At the Nürburgring, he celebrated his fourth win of the 2014 DTM season. In the Drivers’ Championship, the BMW Team RMG driver has now pulled 64 points clear of his closest rivals with three more races to go.
Marco, you lead the Drivers’ Championship with 120 points, 64 points clear of second place. How are you dealing with this situation?
Marco Wittmann: “I am obviously aware that I have a big lead over my closest rivals, so I would be lying if I said I am not thinking about the title. However, I have driven superbly so far by following my tactic of taking things one race at a time. This approach has taken me to four wins so far this season. Therefore, I will stick to my principles. I am now fully focussed on the next race at the Lausitzring. We did not do so well there last season, so we cannot take for granted that we will be up among the front-runners again there.”
You had the maximum performance weight on board your car, but still led superbly from start to finish. How did you do that?
Wittmann: “I did have one worrying moment. I braked too late in the middle of the race and had to take evasive action through the chicane. Apart from that, it was a flawless drive. In my opinion, the additional kilos do not make such a big difference in the race as they do in qualifying. Every thousandth of a second counts in qualifying in the DTM. A few kilos more or less can make all the difference then. Despite the additional weight, my team managed to find the perfect balance for my car this weekend.”
Your victory presented BMW Team RMG with its first home win at the Nürburgring in the DTM. Is that something you are proud of?
Wittmann: “The weekend in the Eifel Mountains was special for my team and me, but also for BMW Motorsport. The loss of Dieter Lamm has deeply affected us all. I dedicate this win to him. The win at the Nürburgring is a dream come true for my guys at BMW Team RMG. I know how much it means to my team principal Stefan Reinhold to have won here. Because of this, I am incredibly proud of this success. We had the perfect weekend, with pole position, first place in the race and the fastest lap.”