The Winward Racing driver only missed out on a podium on Sunday when he was passed on the final lap by Marco Wittmann’s BMW, which marked a dramatic turnaround from Saturday’s race when Maro Engel in the best-placed Mercedes-AMG GT3 only finished tenth.
All Mercedes drivers had been given a 20kg weight deduction prior to the opening race, after Auer had topped the AMG contingent in qualifying in ninth, but the limited passing opportunities around the Imola circuit meant this had limited effect and the Austrian retired while running outside the points due to fading brakes.
