With a victory in Saturday’s race at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, Audi RS5 DTM driver Mattias Ekström came one step closer to his big dream of winning his third DTM title. Jamie Green and Nico Müller finished in 2nd and 3rd to complete the perfect 1-2-3 Audi podium. It was Ekström’s first win of the season and his 23rd overall DTM win.

“The basis for the good race result today was qualifying, which I was very proud of,” said Mattias Ekström. “That hasn’t really been my greatest strength. From position three on the grid behind two Audi colleagues, the main thing was to stay in front of Marco Wittmann at the start. Fortunately, I managed to do that. Afterwards, everything went perfectly. Although, at first glance, I have a big advantage now, the tables can turn very quickly again in the DTM.”

Ekström extended his advantage over Mercedes-Benz driver Lucas Auer to 31 points. Marco Wittmann is trailing him by six points following Saturday’s race as the best BMW driver. Jamie Green who, for the first time since his victory at the Lausitzring at the end of May, mounted the podium again managed to insert himself between Ekström and Auer. The Briton posted best times in both free practice sessions, secured the pole position and led the race for a long time as well.

“My car was perfect, especially on the first set of tires,” said Green. “But in the end, Mattias came up from behind with DRS and with a view towards the championship, today was also about teamwork.”

On clinching 3rd place and his first podium this season, Ekström’s teammate at Abt, Nico Müller, perfected Audi’s one-two-three win, plus a special birthday of Team Director Thomas Biermaier who turned 40 on Saturday.

With Mike Rockenfeller from Audi Sport Team Phoenix in seventh place, another Audi driver finished in the points. In a fiercely fighting pack that began in position four, the German was entangled in tussles just like René Rast who, following a disappointing race, finished in position 13 and remained without points. Following an excursion in qualifying, Loïc Duval from the last row on the grid still advanced to 14th place.

“A superb race for us,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. “The guys at the front did a great job and were really running fast. They obviously benefited a little from Robert Wickens having slowed the whole field with a damaged car so that the field behind position four was superbly close together again. That made it easier for us to bring our one-two-three win home.”

On Sunday, Audi again celebrated a one-two-three win. The spectators witnessed a spectacular thriller from which René Rast from Audi Sport Team Rosberg in the end surprisingly came out the winner.

The driver who dominated the race on Sunday was Rast’s teammate, Jamie Green. The Briton again put his Audi RS 5 DTM on pole position and set the pace in the race right from the start. With René Rast following in his slipstream, Audi Sport Team Rosberg seemed to be headed for a one-two win until the front runner, three laps before the finish, suddenly lost speed and with shifting problems dropped to 14th place.

As a result, René Rast celebrated the third victory in his impressive DTM rookie season and as the new runner-up in the standings is again one in a total of six drivers still having chances of clinching the drivers’ title in the finale at Hockenheim on October 14 and 15. Four of them drive an Audi RS 5 DTM.

“For me, personally, it was obviously a superb result,” said Rast. “But I’m very sorry for Jamie. He would have deserved victory today. On the one hand, we can be happy that we’ve won the race. On the other hand, we’re a little sad that it didn’t turn out a one-two win.”

Mike Rockenfeller and Nico Müller filled out the all Audi podium. Rockenfeller thought his race was over when he hit a curb hard in the first third of the race. But, following the tire change, “Rocky” fought his way back to the front, overtaking leader of the standings Mattias Ekström and the BMW of Marco Wittmann, among others.

“That was an awesome race,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. “With two one-two-three wins, it was a superb weekend for us. But I’m extremely sorry for Jamie (Green). He showed such an excellent performance here from day one. He clinched pole position twice and no doubt would have deserved victory today. Losing so much ground so shortly before the end due to a technical issue is painful. Mattias (Ekström) with a super-risky strategy fought back and is now traveling to Hockenheim as the leader of the standings. The DTM fans can look forward to a spectacular finale.”

Four Audi drivers – Mattias Ekström (172 points), René Rast (151), Jamie Green (137) and Mike Rockenfeller (134) – are leading the standings. Only BMW driver Marco Wittmann (134) and Mercedes-Benz driver Lucas Auer (131) are able to challenge Audi for the title. In the manufacturers’ standings, Audi is 166 points ahead of Mercedes-Benz and 213 points ahead of BMW. In the teams’ standings, Audi Sport Team Rosberg is in the top spot, trailed in second place by Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline.