At the end of an authoritative drive at the Norisring, Felipe Fraga clinched a maiden DTM victory, delivering Ferrari and Red Bull Alphatauri AF Corse their first win of the season. The Brazilian, who is also celebrating his birthday today, had been fastest at the end of the morning's qualifying session, ensuring the right to start ahead of the pack when the gantry lights went out. After the race director's reprimand following the incidents at Turn 1 that had provoked repeated Safety Car entrances in Race 1, drivers opted for a more cautious approach.
Fraga defended his position while Guven, slipped from seventh to eighth, but the driver who replaced Nick Cassidy in this round, after a fine battle with yesterday's winner Preining, was able to retake seventh place. At the front of the field Fraga tried to build a small margin over Bortolotti, also setting the fastest lap in the first part of the race, which turned out to be an altogether smoother affair than the previous day’s race.
Guven, at the wheel of the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 in Alphatauri livery, entered the pit lane for the obligatory stop on lap 38, while Fraga carried out the operation nine laps later. The AF Corse mechanics were very lightning fast - just 7”9 for the tyre change - and the Brazilian was able to return to the lead with more than a three-second advantage. From there on, Fraga managed the gap to eventually cross the finish line in the top spot, while Guven posted seventh.
The win will do much to restore morale and confidence for Fraga and Red Bull Alphatauri AF Corse over the coming DTM races, which will observe a rest period in the coming weeks until racing resumes again on 26-28 August at the Nürburgring.
On the leaderboard, Fraga climbs to sixth position on 50 points, compared to the 89 of the leader of the standings, Mirko Bortolotti, while Red Bull Alphatauri AF Corse move up to ninth place on 58 points, 53 points behind the leader, Schubert Motorsport.