The Ferraris had no joy in the first race of round three of the DTM at Imola, with Nick Cassidy fourteenth and Felipe Fraga retired at the end. After a very tricky qualifying session with the two 488 GT3 Evo 2020s of Red Bull Alphatauri AF Corse a long way from the front rows, the Ferraris attempted a difficult comeback on a track where overtaking is not easy.
Cassidy. After starting from fourteenth on the grid, Cassidy made it through the bottleneck at the Tamburello chicane unscathed, consolidating his position and opting for the obligatory stop on lap nine. After losing out to drivers who opted for a different strategy, the New Zealander fought some excellent head-to-head duels that concluded under the chequered flag, which placed him fourteenth.
Fraga. Fraga's race was different. After a few problems in qualifying, the Brazilian started from the twelfth row without much chance of finishing in the points zone. The Red Bull driver and the team opted for a very late stop, hoping for a Safety Car, which failed to materialise. Hence, on lap 22, after re-entering the pit lane and having found it impossible to finish in the points, the Brazilian finally parked his car in the pits without further tyre wear.
The two Ferraris will try to turn things around in Race-2 starting tomorrow at 1.30pm.