2016 DTM Season

2016 DTM Season
Marco Wittmann was declared as Champion for the second time.
Season Information
No. Rounds	9 (18 Races)
First Round	2016 Hockenheim Opening Race 1
Last Round	2016 Hockenheim Finale Race 2
Makers	Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz
Tyre(s)	Hankook
Drivers' Championship
Champion	Second	Third
Marco Wittmann	Edoardo Mortara	Jamie Green
206 Pt(s)	202 Pt(s)	145 Pt(s)
Teams' Championship
Champion	Second	Third
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	BMW Team RMG	BMW Team RBM
319 Pt(s)	290 Pt(s)	203 Pt(s)
Brands' Championship
Champion	Second	Third
Audi	BMW	Mercedes-Benz
700 Pt(s)	647 Pt(s)	471 Pt(s)
Season Guide
2015	2017

The 2016 DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship, otherwise known as the 2016 DTM Championship, was the seventeenth running of the DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship since its reformation in 2000. 2016 was meant to be a momentous season for the series, as it was expected to be the final season for the V8 engines used since the series reformed, although this was pushed back to 2018.

2016 saw nine races across Europe for the Championship, with the traditional home of the series, the Hockenheimring, topping and tailing the season. The familiar round in Oschersleben was to be dropped, in favour of a return to the Hungaroring, with races in Austria, the Netherlands and Russia also scheduled.

Driver-wise, the 2015 Champion Pascal Wehrlein had joined Formula One for the season, meaning he would not defend his title. Otherwise, BMW would defend their title with eight drivers on their books, while Mercedes Team HWA would attempt to defend the Teams' Championship with Robert Wickens and Daniel Juncadella.

Edoardo Mortara won the opening race of the campaign at Hockenheim, while Paul di Resta claimed the Sunday victory for Mercedes. Wins for Marco Wittmann, Timo Glock, Miguel Molina and Lucas Auer, before Mortara would become the season's first repeat winner at the Norisiring.

Wittmann would, however, emerge as the main title contender during the season, claiming a string of points finishes before securing his second and third wins of the campaign at Moscow and the Nürburgring. Mortara would subsequently rise to challenge him with two more wins at the Nürburgring and the Hungaroring, resulting in the pair heading to the season finale at Hockenheim split by fourteen points.

Wittmann would ultimately win the title, beating Mortara by four points despite the Italian racer scoring his fifth victory of the season in the final race. The Teams' Championship was won by Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline, while Audi claimed the Manufacturers Championship.

There were ten different winners across the campaign, with Mortara, Wittmann, di Resta, Jamie Green, Wickens, Mattias Ekström, Nico Müller, Glock, Auer and Molina claiming victories. All three manufacturers would claim victory across the season, with Mercedes notably being affected by success ballast in the second half of the season.

However, it would also be the final season for two DTM legends, as 20018 and 2009 Champion Timo Scheider, and 2011 Champion Martin Tomczyk opted to retire from the Series after their contracts were not renewed at the end of the season.

Calendar

The new race format introduced in 2015 proved popular for fans and drivers, so the DMSB announced its continuation into the new season. The calendar also remained close to its 2015 counterpart, albeit with the familiar Oschersleben round dropped in favour of the Hungaroring, which would host the DTM for only the third time in almost 30 years.

The season would begin at the Hockenheimring on 7 May 2016, with two races scheduled for the opening round. The annual trip to the Red Bull Ring and the Styrian Mountains followed on 21/22 May, before the return to Germany followed with a trip to the Lausitzring on 4/5 June. The battle of Nuremburg and the Norisring would then follow on the final weekend of June, before a trip to Circuit Park Zandvoort and the Netherlands completed the first half of the campaign on 16/17 July.

The DTM returned to racing on 20 August at the Moscow Raceway, completing two races before returning to Germany. The annual trip to the Nürburgring was made on 10-11 September, before the trip to the Hungaroring was completed on the 24/25 September. The season would then come to a conclusion back at Hockenheim on 15 - 16 October, with eighteen races in total.

Schedule

The full calendar for the 2016 DTM Championship is shown below:

2016 DTM Championship Calendar
Round	Event	Circuit	Date	Report
I	DTM Hockenheim Opening 2016	Hockenheimring	7 May 2016	Report
			8 May 2016	Report
II	DTM Spielberg 2016	Red Bull Ring	21 May 2016	Report
			22 May 2016	Report
III	DTM Lausitz 2016	Lausitzring	4 June 2016	Report
			5 June 2016	Report
IV	DTM Nuremburg 2016	Norisring	21 May 2016	Report
			22 May 2016	Report
V	DTM Zandvoort 2016	Circuit Park Zandvoort	16 July 2016	Report
			17 July 2016	Report
VI	DTM Moskau 2016	Moscow Raceway	20 August 2016	Report
			21 August 2016	Report
VII	DTM Nürburg 2016	Nürburgring	10 September 2016	Report
			11 September 2016	Report
VIII	DTM Budapest 2016	Hungaroring	24 September 2016	Report
			25 September 2016	Report
IX	DTM Hockenheim Finale 2016	Hockenheimring	15 October 2016	Report
			16 October 2016	Report
2016 DTM Tests
I	DTM Pre-season Test 2016	Hockenheimring	5 - 7 April 2016	Report
II	DTM Oschersleben Test 2016	Oschersleben	24 - 28 October 2016	Report
III	DTM Portimão Test 2016	Algarve International Circuit	15 - 18 November 2016	Report
IV	DTM Rookie Test 2016	Circuito de Jerez	29 Nov - 2 Dec 2016	Report

Entrants

24 drivers, representing Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, will once again do battle over the course of the season, with all three manufacturers looking to increase development ahead of the imminent engine switch. The new Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM was released before the conclusion of the 2015 Championship, signalling Mercedes' intent to recover the Brands' and Teams' titles as well as completing a successful defence of the DTM Championship.

There is set to be little change at Audi, however, with all eight of their 2015 combatants returning once again, albeit with two drivers swapping teams. Similarly, BMW announced that their 2015 octet would be competing in 2016 as well, with three inter-team changes, involving Augusto Farfus, Timo Glock and Maxime Martin.

Reigning Champion Pascal Wehrlein obtained a drive in Formula One for 2016, and so would not be able to defend his title. As such, Mercedes opted to fill his vacated seat with Frenchman, and GP3 Series Champion, Esteban Ocon, who would be the only débutante in 2016. Ocon would then go on to partner Wehrlein at Manor Racing partway through the season, leaving Mercedes to draft in Felix Rosenqvist from the FIA Formula 3 European Championship.

Season Entry

The full entry list for the 2016 DTM Championship is outlined below:

2016 DTM Championship Entry List
Entrant	No.	Name	Abbr.	Rnds.	Liv.
Mercedes DTM Team ART Mercedes C63 DTM	2	Gary Paffett	PAF	All	File:PAF 16 Livery.png
	34	Esteban Ocon	OCO	1-4	File:OCO 16 Livery.png
	88	Felix Rosenqvist*	FRO	5-9	File:FRO 16 Livery.png
Mercedes DTM Team HWA II Mercedes C63 DTM	3	Paul di Resta	DIR	All	File:DIR 16 Livery.png
	84	Maximilian Götz	GOE	All	File:GOE 16 Livery.png
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline Audi RS5 DTM	5	Mattias Ekström	EKS	1-8	File:EKS 16 Livery.png
	48	Edoardo Mortara	MOR	All	File:MOR 16 Livery.png
	99	Mike Rockenfeller†	ROC	9	File:ROC 16 Livery.png
Mercedes DTM Team HWA I Mercedes C63 DTM	6	Robert Wickens	WIC	All	File:WIC 16 Livery.png
	12	Daniel Juncadella	JUN	All	File:JUN 16 Livery.png
BMW Team MTEK BMW M4 DTM	7	Bruno Spengler	SPE	All	File:SPE 16 Livery.png
	18	Augusto Farfus	FAR	All	File:FAR 16 Livery.png
Mercedes DTM Team Mücke BWT Mercedes C63 DTM	8	Christian Vietoris	VIE	All	File:VIE 16 Livery.png
	22	Lucas Auer	AUE	All	File:AUE 16 Livery.png
Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi RS5 DTM	10	Timo Scheider	TSC	All	File:TSC 16 Livery.png
	72	René Rast†	RAS	9	File:RAS 16 Livery.png
	99	Mike Rockenfeller	ROC	1-8	File:ROC 16 Livery.png
BMW Team RMG BMW M4 DTM	11	Marco Wittmann	WIT	All	File:WIT 16 Livery.png
	16	Timo Glock	GLO	All	File:GLO 16 Livery.png
BMW Team Schnitzer BMW M4 DTM	13	António Félix da Costa	DAC	All	File:DAC 16 Livery.png
	100	Martin Tomczyk	TOM	All	File:TOM 16 Livery.png
Audi Sport Team Abt Audi RS5 DTM	17	Miguel Molina	MOL	All	File:MOL 16 Livery.png
	51	Nico Müller	MUE	All	File:MUE 16 Livery.png
Audi Sport Team Rosberg Audi RS5 DTM	27	Adrien Tambay	TAM	All	File:TAM 16 Livery.png
	53	Jamie Green	GRE	All	File:GRE 16 Livery.png
	72	René Rast†	RAS	4b	File:RAS 16 Livery.png
BMW Team RBM BMW M4 DTM	31	Tom Blomqvist	BLO	All	File:BLO 16 Livery.png
	36	Maxime Martin	MAR	All	File:MAR 16 Livery.png
Source:

• * Rosenqvist, Mercedes' reserve driver, was drafted in to replace Ocon mid-way through the season.
• ^† Rast was listed as the Audi reserve driver at the start of the season, so was drafted in to replace Tambay at Circuit Park Zandvoort and Ekström at the Season finale.

Season Report

With nine rounds, and eighteen races, the DTM 2016 season will match 2015 as the longest season in the series' history, running from May until October.

Round I: DTM Hockenheim Opening 2016

The first round was to take place at the legendary Hockenheimring, using the familiar GP layout. The two races were held on the 7 - 8 May, with practice on the Friday the 6th. The weekend would also see a support programme featuring the Audi Sport TT Cup and the FIA World Rally Cross Championship.

Race One

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Hockenheim Opening Race 1 article.

Race Two

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Hockenheim Opening Race 2 article.

Round II: DTM Spielberg 2016

The first non-German hosted race saw the series head to Austria on the 20 - 22 May, returning to the popular Red Bull Ring once again.

Race Three

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Spielberg Race 1 article.

Race Four

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Spielberg Race 2 article.

Round III: DTM Lausitz 2016

Round three saw the annual visit to the EuroSpeedway Lausitzring circuit on the first weekend of June, with the ADAC GT Masters Championship the feature support race for the DTM.

Race Five

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Lausitzring Race 1 article.

Race Six

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Lausitzring Race 2 article.

Round IV: DTM Nuremburg 2016

A fan and driver favourite, the Norisring, set in the heart of Nuremberg, would play host to the DTM once again on the 24 - 26 June.

Race Seven

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Norisring Race 1 article.

Race Eight

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Norisring Race 2 article.

Round V: DTM Zandvoort 2016

The Netherlands' premier racing circuit, the Circuit Park Zandvoort, hosted the 2016 edition of the DTM from the 15 - 17 July, ahead of the pseudo-Summer break for the Championship.

Race Nine

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Zandvoort Race 1 article.

Race Ten

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Zandvoort Race 2 article.

Round VI: DTM Moskau 2016

The Russian capital's nearest race circuit, the Moscow Raceway saw the series start up again over the weekend of the 19 - 21 August.

Race Eleven

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Moscow Raceway Race 1 article.

Race Twelve

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Moscow Raceway Race 2 article.

Round VII: DTM Nürburg 2016

The Nürburgring got its chance to host the DTM from the 9 - 11 September, and signals the start of the Championship's final push to the finale.

Race Thirteen

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Nürburgring Race 1 article.

Race Fourteen

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Nürburgring Race 2 article.

Round VIII: DTM Budapest 2016

After being dropped for 2015, the Hungaroring returned to the calendar in place of the round at Oschersleben, and served as the penultimate round of the Championship on the 23 - 25 September.

Race Fifteen

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Hungaroring Race 1 article.

Race Sixteen

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Hungaroring Race 2 article.

Round IX: DTM Hockenheim Finale 2016

Tradition dictated that Hockenheim hosted the first and final races of the season, and 2016 would be no different. The series returned to the place the season started on the 14 - 16 October, with the Champion to be crowned that weekend.

Race Seventeen

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Hockenheim Finale Race 1 article.

Race Eighteen

For the full race report, head to the 2016 Hockenheim Finale Race 2 article.

Regulations

Given the DTM's tradition of using high performance, and technologically advanced machinery, the regulations that apply to the cars and drivers are tightly controlled. That said, a large element of consistency is sought on the technical side, meaning that the focus of the Championship can be on the drivers, with only minor modifications made to either set of rules for 2016.

Technical

The technical aspects of the DTM Championship remain largely the same as they had been in 2015, with the same V8 engines and gearboxes used. The only changes would be for BMW, who were allowed to run their cars 7.5 kg lighter than Mercedes and Audi while also using a wider rear wing (50mm in total). This was agreed between the three manufacturers to ensure ever closer performance between the three manufacturers during the season.

DRS would also receive an overhaul in 2016, with the number of activations allowed during a race restricted, although drivers must still be within one second of the car ahead to be able to deploy it.

Sporting

As with 2015, 2016 sees the standardised FIA point scoring system awarded for every race of the season, with no dropped scores. Points are to be awarded from first to tenth, with no points for fastest lap or pole position.

The full points scoring system for the 2016 DTM campaign is outlined below:

2016 DTM Championship Race Points
1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
25	18	15	12	10	8	6	4	2	1

All of the DTM field in 2016 used tyres provided by Hankook, with no variation in compounds.

The use of performance weights returned for 2016, although the method with which they are applied has been modified after requests by several drivers. Weight penalties will now be applied after qualifying for each race rather than being based on the results of the previous weekend, meaning that cars should have equalised performance for every race. 

Standings

The 2016 DTM Championship sees all eighteen race results count towards the Championship, with the highest scoring driver awarded the Championship. Both the Teams' and Brands' Championships are to be on offer in 2016, both of which relate to prize money, rather than honour.

2016 DTM Championship for Drivers

Outlined below are the Championship standings for the 2016 DTM Championship for Drivers:

2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship for Drivers
Pos.	Abb.																			Pts.
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
1st	WIT	16th	8th	1st	7th	4th	6th	4th	6th	2nd	4th	19th	1st	1st	3rd	7th	DSQ	2nd	4th	206
2nd	MOR	1st	11th	3rd	Ret	8th	12th	1st	8th	17th	3rd	8th	6th	4th	1st	1st	19th	3rd	1st	202
3rd	GRE	15th	Ret	14th	3rd	2nd	4th	2nd	17th	5th	1st	7th	21st	3rd	16th	2nd	Ret	8th	8th	145
4th	WIC	2nd	5th	11th	20th	3rd	3rd	Ret	11th	1st	16th	1st	5th	9th	13th	10th	10th	Ret	9th	124
5th	DIR	4th	1st	7th	15th	13th	21st	3rd	4th	15th	8th	2nd	23rd	6th	Ret	Ret	13th	10th	3rd	116
6th	BLO	13th	6th	2nd	6th	22nd	11th	15th	2nd	16th	10th	22nd	2nd	2nd	8th	22nd	4th	9th	7th	113
7th	EKS	9th	Ret	16th	2nd	6th	2nd	Ret	Ret	7th	7th	5th	9th	DSQ	4th	18th	1st			107
8th	MAR	8th	3rd	6th	5th	9th	13th	6th	3rd	10th	Ret	6th	17th	8th	10th	12th	7th	13th	6th	90
9th	MUE	3rd	7th	10th	Ret	10th	8th	20th	1st	20th	5th	13th	7th	11th	5th	5th	Ret	15th	13th	88
10th	GLO	Ret	DSQ	4th	1st	12th	10th	21st	9th	21st	6th	11th	Ret	5th	14th	13th	5th	7th	5th	84
11th	PAF	11th	4th	18th	13th	14th	5th	14th	DSQ	4th	2nd	3rd	18th	19th	7th	20th	16th	19th	15th	73
12th	AUE	Ret	15th	21st	16th	7th	1st	13th	5th	12th	9th	18th	10th	7th	2nd	15th	15th	18th	16th	68
13th	MOL	10th	Ret	19th	14th	1st	19th	17th	14th	18th	Ret	17th	11th	15th	20th	3rd	18th	1st	14th	66
14th	VIE	5th	14th	Ret	17th	5th	7th	10th	15th	3rd	20th	23rd	14th	13th	17th	16th	14th	22nd	2nd	60
15th	SPE	6th	Ret	13th	9th	11th	9th	5th	7th	13th	14th	15th	3rd	18th	6th	19th	12th	14th	12th	51
16th	FAR	14th	2nd	9th	4th	21st	Ret	11th	Ret	Ret	13th	14th	4th	22nd	21st	19th	Ret	11th	Ret	44
17th	DAC	7th	Ret	22nd	21st	15th	14th	9th	DSQ	6th	19th	20th	19th	20th	19th	16th	3rd	4th	Ret	43
18th	TAM	Ret	13th	8th	11th	20th	20th	7th	DSQ	Ret		12th	8th	Ret	15th	6th	2nd	12th	Ret	40
19th	ROC	Ret	10th	12th	8th	19th	17th	18th	DSQ	14th	15th	16th	15th	14th	22nd	4th	8th	5th	11th	31
20th	GOE	Ret	12th	15th	22nd	16th	Ret	8th	12th	Ret	Ret	4th	16th	10th	23rd	21st	17th	17th	19th	17
21st	TOM	12th	9th	5th	19th	Ret	18th	12th	10th	19th	11th	21st	22nd	16th	12th	23rd	9th	20th	10th	16
22nd	TSC	Ret	Ret	17th	10th	17th	16th	16th	16th	11th	Ret	9th	13th	21st	11th	9th	6th	16th	18th	13
23rd	RAS										19th							6th	17th	8
24th	JUN	Ret	16th	Ret	12th	18th	Ret	19th	DSQ	8th	12th	24th	12th	17th	9th	11th	DSQ	21st	20th	6
25th	FRO											10th	20th	12th	18th	8th	11th	Ret	21st	5
26th	OCO	Ret	Ret	20th	18th	23rd	15th	Ret	13th	9th	18th									2
Pos.	Abb.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Pts.

2016 DTM Championship for Teams

Outlined below are the Championship standings for the 2016 DTM Championship for Teams:

2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship for Teams
Pos.	Abb.	No.																			Pts.
			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
1st	Abt S	5	9th	Ret	16th	2nd	6th	2nd	Ret	Ret	7th	7th	5th	9th	DSQ	4th	18th	1st			319
		48	1st	11th	3rd	Ret	8th	12th	1st	8th	17th	3rd	8th	6th	4th	1st	1st	19th	3rd	1st
		99																	5th	11th
2nd	RMG	11	16th	8th	1st	7th	4th	6th	4th	6th	2nd	4th	19th	1st	1st	3rd	7th	DSQ	2nd	4th	290
		16	Ret	DSQ	4th	1st	12th	10th	21st	9th	21st	6th	11th	Ret	5th	14th	13th	5th	7th	5th
3rd	RBM	31	13th	6th	2nd	6th	22nd	11th	15th	2nd	16th	10th	22nd	2nd	2nd	8th	22nd	4th	9th	7th	203
		36	8th	3rd	6th	5th	9th	13th	6th	3rd	10th	Ret	6th	17th	8th	10th	12th	7th	13th	6th
4th	ROS	27	Ret	13th	8th	11th	20th	20th	7th	DSQ	Ret		12th	8th	Ret	15th	6th	2nd	12th	Ret	185
		53	15th	Ret	14th	3rd	2nd	4th	2nd	17th	5th	1st	7th	21st	3rd	16th	2nd	Ret	8th	8th
		72										19th
5th	Abt	17	10th	Ret	19th	14th	1st	19th	17th	14th	18th	Ret	17th	11th	15th	20th	3rd	18th	1st	14th	154
		51	3rd	7th	10th	Ret	10th	8th	20th	1st	20th	5th	13th	7th	11th	5th	5th	Ret	15th	13th
6th	HWA II	3	4th	1st	7th	15th	13th	21st	3rd	4th	15th	8th	2nd	23rd	6th	Ret	Ret	13th	10th	3rd	133
		84	Ret	12th	15th	22nd	16th	Ret	8th	12th	Ret	Ret	4th	16th	10th	23rd	21st	17th	17th	19th
7th	HWA I	6	2nd	5th	11th	20th	3rd	3rd	Ret	11th	1st	16th	1st	5th	9th	13th	10th	10th	Ret	9th	130
		12	Ret	16th	Ret	12th	18th	Ret	19th	DSQ	8th	12th	24th	12th	17th	9th	11th	DSQ	21st	20th
8th	BWT	8	5th	14th	Ret	17th	5th	7th	10th	15th	3rd	20th	23rd	14th	13th	17th	16th	14th	22nd	2nd	128
		22	Ret	15th	21st	16th	7th	1st	13th	5th	12th	9th	18th	10th	7th	2nd	15th	15th	18th	16th
9th	MTEK	7	6th	Ret	13th	9th	11th	9th	5th	7th	13th	14th	15th	3rd	18th	6th	19th	12th	14th	12th	95
		18	14th	2nd	9th	4th	21st	Ret	11th	Ret	Ret	13th	14th	4th	22nd	21st	19th	Ret	11th	Ret
10th	ART	2	11th	4th	18th	13th	14th	5th	14th	DSQ	4th	2nd	3rd	18th	19th	7th	20th	16th	19th	15th	80
		34	Ret	Ret	20th	18th	23rd	15th	Ret	13th	9th	18th
		88											10th	20th	12th	18th	8th	11th	Ret	21st
11th	SCH	13	7th	Ret	22nd	21st	15th	14th	9th	DSQ	6th	19th	20th	19th	20th	19th	16th	3rd	4th	Ret	59
		100	12th	9th	5th	19th	Ret	18th	12th	10th	19th	11th	21st	22nd	16th	12th	23rd	9th	20th	10th
12th	PHO	10	Ret	Ret	17th	10th	17th	16th	16th	16th	11th	Ret	9th	13th	21st	11th	9th	6th	16th	18th	42
		72																	6th	17th
		99	Ret	10th	12th	8th	19th	17th	18th	DSQ	14th	15th	16th	15th	14th	22nd	4th	8th
Pos.	Abb.	No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Pts.

2016 DTM Championship for Manufacturers

The Brands' or Manufacturers' Championship is awarded to the manufacturer with the most points at the end of the season, based on the six best placed cars for each brand in every race.

Outlined below are the Championship standings for the 2016 DTM Championship for Drivers:

2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship for Manufacturers
Pos.	Abb.																			Pts.
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
1st	Audi	43	7	20	38	56	34	49	29	16	56	22	20	27	47	90	55	62	29	700
2nd	BMW	18	47	75	63	14	11	32	50	27	21	8	70	57	28	6	45	38	37	647
3rd	Mercedes	40	47	6	0	31	56	20	22	58	24	71	11	17	26	5	1	1	35	471

References

Videos and Images:

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