Grasser Lamborghini driver Mirko Bortolotti leads the standings after finishing third in both of the opening two races in Portugal last month.
The Italian took pole for the opening race and looked set to convert it to victory until his car suffered an electrical glitch at a restart and dropped him down the order before staging a strong comeback as Lucas Auer (HTP Winward Mercedes) opened his account for the year.
Nico Muller then took his and Team Rosberg’s long-awaited first victory of the DTM’s GT3 era in race two, the Audi ace leading series newcomer Felipe Fraga (Red Bull Ferrari) and Bortolotti to the flag having started on pole.
Both Muller and Auer have a DNF to their names from the opening weekend – the former retiring from race one due to damage resulting from a puncture, while Auer was forced out of race two when a defective air gun meant his wheel wasn’t mounted correctly during his pitstop – allowing the consistent Bortolotti to lead the standings on 35 points.
The Italian won at Lausitzring in ADAC GT Masters in 2017, but will have a very different challenge in store for him this weekend as the DTM utilises the 8.7-degree banked Turn 1 configuration of the Klettwitz track – which twice hosted the CART Indycar series in 2001 and 2003 – for the second time.
Last year’s two races on the banked layout were both won by Mercedes drivers. Auer’s HTP Winward team-mate Philip Ellis took advantage of a superb restart in the first race to move up from sixth to second before passing Sheldon van der Linde’s BMW late on.
Eventual 2021 champion Maxi Gotz (HRT Mercedes) then won the second race, but only after a brief stall delayed early leader Liam Lawson’s Ferrari and Kelvin van der Linde slowed with an electrical glitch on the run to Turn 2 that dropped the Abt Audi driver back to third.
Nick Cassidy will be making his first DTM appearance of the season in the AF Corse-run Red Bull Ferrari squad, after a clash with Formula E meant he was replaced in Portugal by World Rally Championship legend Sebastien Loeb. The nine-time WRC champion finished both races on his return to circuit racing competition, finishing 16th and 18th in the two races.
Lausitzring DTM session timings
The Lausitzring race weekend will begin on Friday with two 45-minute practice sessions.
A pair of races will follow over the next two days, the starting grids for which will be decided by separate qualifying sessions.
Friday 20th May 2022
• Free Practice 1: 10:20am-11:05pm BST (11:20am-12:05pm local)
• Free Practice 2: 1:55pm-2:40pm BST (2:55pm-3:40pm local)
Saturday 21st May 2022
• Qualifying 1: 9:05am-9:25am BST (10:05am-10:25am local)
• Race 1: 12:30pm BST (1:30pm local)
Sunday 22nd May 2022
• Qualifying 2: 9:05am-9:25am BST (10:05am-10:25am local)
• Race 2: 12:30pm BST (1:30pm local)
How can I watch the Lausitzring DTM races?
BT Sport will broadcast the second round of the 2022 DTM season at the Lausitzring.
The coverage for Saturday's race will begin at 12:15pm on BT Sport ESPN. Qualifying for the second race on Sunday will be shown live on BT Sport 3 at 9:00am, with the race shown on BT Sport ESPN at 12:15pm.
Can I stream the Lausitzring DTM round?
DTM provides a free livestream on its website for viewers around the world. Check out the DTM Grid for more information.
Will there be fans at the Lausitzring?
Yes, fans will be allowed at the Lausitzring. To purchase tickets, click here.
Lausitzring DTM race winners
Gary Paffett: 4 wins (2005, 2009, 2013, 2018)
Bernd Schneider: 3 wins (2002, 2003, 2006)
Jamie Green: 3 wins (2015 x2, 2017)
Rene Rast: 3 wins (2019, 2020 x2)
Lucas Auer: 3 wins (2016, 2017, 2020)
