2020 Assen Race 1

2020 Assen Race 1
The Assen TT Circuit in 2020.
Race Information
Date	5 September 2020
No.	258
Event	DTM Assen 2020
Location	TT Circuit Assen Assen, Drenthe, Netherlands
Format	55 min + 1 Lap
Lap length	4.555 km (2.829 mi)
Distance	36 laps / 163.980 km (101.892 mi)
Qualifying Result
Pole Sitter	Loïc Duval
Team	Audi Sport Team Phoenix
Time	1:23.341
Fastest Lap
Driver	Fabio Scherer
Team	Audi Sport Team WRT
Time	1:26.123 on lap 22
Race Result
First	Second	Third
Robin Frijns	Loïc Duval	Nico Müller
Winner Team	Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline
Time	53:45.729
Race Guide
Previous		Next
2020 Lausitzring Race 2		2020 Assen Race 2

The 2020 Assen Race 1, formally known as the 2020 DTM Assen Race 1, was the seventh race of the 2020 DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship staged at the TT Circuit Assen in Assen, Drenthe, Netherlands on 5 September 2020. The race would see Robin Frijns secure his maiden DTM victory as Audi resumed their domination by locking out the top five.

Qualifying would see Loïc Duval sweep to pole position for the first time since 2018, beating Frijns by 0.034s. Championship leader Nico Müller was next up ahead of Ferdinand von Habsburg, while Mike Rockenfeller and René Rast shared the third row to leave Lucas Auer as the first BMW pilot in seventh.

The start of the race would be delayed after Jamie Green stalled on the grid, the Brit having to be pushed into the pits as the Team Rosberg squad tried to fire-up his car. After a second formation lap the race would start, with the #28 Audi of Duval scampering away into the lead while von Habsburg swept into second past the two Team Abt cars. Behind it was largely grid order as the six lead Audis remained ahead of Auer's lead BMW, with everyone making it through the first few corners without issue.

The early laps saw Duval establish himself in the lead of the race, while Habsburg's initially strong pace soon wavered allowing Frijns to move back into second. The Austrian racer soon slipped back behind Rast, who had moved ahead of Müller on the opening tour, and Rockenfeller to run in sixth, although Auer was unable to find a way past the Team WRT Audi.

Duval led the charge into the pits for fresh tyres on lap sixteen, with a swift stop from the Team Phoenix squad getting him back into the fray in clear air. Rast and Müller came in on the following tour, with Rast getting delayed by a troublesome front right wheel, allowing Müller to scramble out ahead of him.

Frijns remained out for an additional lap but was unable to overcut Duval for the lead, emerging behind the #28 car who was able to build a small advantage. Behind, Habsburg would slip behind Jonathan Aberdein as the South African racer emerged as the lead BMW driver in sixth, while Robert Kubica made a gamble on a late stop to swap to fresh tyres.

Into the closing stages and Frijns was able to get into striking position behind Duval for the lead, after the gap between them had ebbed and flowed since their stops. On lap 30 Frijns pounced and claimed the lead, with Müller moving up to challenge the Frenchman but was unable to force his way past.

Indeed, Duval's late rally would have a decisive impact of the race, with Frijns able to keep the Frenchman at bay by half a second to secure his maiden victory. Duval himself did enough to keep Müller behind to claim second ahead of the Swiss ace, while Rast's pace collapsed late on to leave him in fifth behind Rockenfeller. Aberdein was next up ahead of Habsburg as the best BMW, Sheldon van der Linde and Timo Glock having been unable to pass the Austrian racer for seventh, while Kubica claimed his maiden point with a late charge on his fresher tyres.

Background

Two weeks after the conclusion of the double header at the Lausitzring the DTM field reconvened at the TT Circuit Assen in Assen, Drenthe, Netherlands for the fourth round of the compressed 2020 campaign. The circuit itself was unchanged after the DTM's previous visit in 2019, as the Dutch circuit announced that they would allow 10,000 fans to attend. Otherwise, there were no changes to the Series' plans for the fourth round, with no changes to the entry list after the trip to Lausitz.

A Future Past

Ahead of the trip to Assen the DTM's boss Gerhard Berger revealed that there had been plans to supplement the DTM grid with a second class featuring GT3 cars. The decline in entries since the DTM's zenith grid of 24 cars in 2017 had led Berger and the DTM to investigate mirroring sister series Super GT, which already had a multi-class formula comprising of Class One cars like the DTM, alongside a mix of GT3 based cars and their own GT300 formula. Indeed, after the Super GT x DTM Dream Races at the end of 2019 the DTM's bosses had concluded that GT3 had been a major factor in Super GT's continued success, with their 2020 grid featuring 45 cars, 30 of which were formed from GT3 and GT300 entries.

However, Audi's decision to leave the DTM left such a plan unfeasible, with BMW dubious about continuing their Class One DTM programme if they were the only manufacturer.

BMW's Break

Nico Müller had extended his lead atop the Championship as the DTM completed its two week stay at the Lausitzring, the Swiss ace having moved onto 133 points come the end of the weekend. René Rast had retained second but slipped 36 off the lead, while Robin Frijns had moved to within five of the defending Champion in third. Timo Glock, meanwhile, had moved up to fourth to lead the BMW driver, with Jamie Green completing the top five.

Audi Team Abt were still in command of the Teams' Championship leaving the EuroSpeedway, the German outfit holding 225 points. Audi Team Rosberg were next up in second, but had fallen 81 points behind, while BMW Team RMG had broken into the top three on 92. Audi, meanwhile, had retained their dominant position in the Manufacturers' Championship, remaining 220 points ahead after BMW matched their score in the fourth race at the Lausitzring.

Entry List

The full entry list for the 2020 Assen Race 1 is displayed below:

2020 Assen Race 1 Entry List
No.	Name	Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Livery
4	Robin Frijns	Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
8	Robert Kubica	BMW Team ART Orlen	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
10	Harrison Newey	Audi Sport Team WRT	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
11	Marco Wittmann	BMW Team RMG	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
13	Fabio Scherer	Audi Sport Team WRT	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
16	Timo Glock	BMW Team RMG	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
22	Lucas Auer	BMW Team RMR	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
25	Philipp Eng	BMW Team RBM	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
27	Jonathan Aberdein	BMW Team RMR	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
28	Loïc Duval	Audi Sport Team Phoenix	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
31	Sheldon van der Linde	BMW Team RBM	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
33	René Rast	Audi Sport Team Rosberg	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
51	Nico Müller	Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
53	Jamie Green	Audi Sport Team Rosberg	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
62	Ferdinand von Habsburg	Audi Sport Team WRT	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
99	Mike Rockenfeller	Audi Sport Team Phoenix	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
Source:

Qualifying

Results

The final qualifying result for the 2020 Assen Race 1 are outlined below:

2020 Assen Race 1 Qualifying Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Time	Gap	Ave. Speed	Grid
1st	28	Loïc Duval	Audi Team Phoenix	1:23.341	—	196.757 km/h	1
2nd	4	Robin Frijns	Audi Team Abt	1:23.375	+0.034s	196.677 km/h	2
3rd	51	Nico Müller	Audi Team Abt	1:23.459	+0.118s	196.479 km/h	3
4th	62	Ferdinand von Habsburg	Audi Team WRT	1:23.501	+0.160s	196.380 km/h	4
5th	99	Mike Rockenfeller	Audi Team Phoenix	1:23.569	+0.228s	196.221 km/h	5
6th	33	René Rast	Audi Team Rosberg	1:23.668	+0.327s	195.988 km/h	6
7th	22	Lucas Auer	BMW Team RMR	1:23.853	+0.512s	195.556 km/h	7
8th	25	Philipp Eng	BMW Team RBM	1:23.917	+0.576s	195.407 km/h	8
9th	27	Jonathan Aberdein	BMW Team RMR	1:24.098	+0.757s	194.986 km/h	9
10th	11	Marco Wittmann	BMW Team RMG	1:24.139	+0.798s	194.891 km/h	10
11th	31	Sheldon van der Linde	BMW Team RBM	1:24.336	+0.995s	194.436 km/h	11
12th	53	Jamie Green	Audi Team Rosberg	1:24.452	+1.111s	194.169 km/h	12
13th	10	Harrison Newey	Audi Team WRT	1:24.539	+1.198s	193.969 km/h	13
14th	16	Timo Glock	BMW Team RMG	1:24.718	+1.377s	193.559 km/h	14
15th	8	Robert Kubica	BMW Team ART	1:24.730	+1.389s	193.532 km/h	15
NC	13	Fabio Scherer	Audi Team WRT	—			16
Source:

• Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.

Grid

The starting grid for the 2020 Assen Race 1 in shown below:

		8	Robert Kubica	1:24.730			10	Harrison Newey	1:24.539			31	Sheldon van der Linde	1:24.336			27	Jonathan Aberdein	1:24.098			22	Lucas Auer	1:23.853			99	Mike Rockenfeller	1:23.569			51	Nico Müller	1:23.459			28	Loïc Duval	1:23.341
	13	Fabio Scherer		—		16	Timo Glock		1:24.718		53	Jamie Green		1:24.452		11	Marco Wittmann		1:24.139		25	Philipp Eng		1:23.917		33	René Rast		1:23.668		62	Ferdinand von Habsburg		1:23.501		4	Robin Frijns		1:23.375

Race

Results

The final classification of the 2020 Assen Race 1 is displayed below:

2020 Assen Race 1 Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Laps	Race Time	Fastest lap	Pts.
1st	4	Robin Frijns	Audi Team Abt	36	53:45.729	1:27.092	252
2nd	28	Loïc Duval	Audi Team Phoenix	36	+0.505s	1:27.000	183
3rd	51	Nico Müller	Audi Team Abt	36	+0.950s	1:26.838	151
4th	99	Mike Rockenfeller	Audi Team Phoenix	36	+3.188s	1:26.466	12
5th	33	René Rast	Audi Team Rosberg	36	+13.735s	1:27.060	10
6th	27	Jonathan Aberdein	BMW Team RMR	36	+26.768s	1:27.589	8
7th	31	Sheldon van der Linde	BMW Team RBM	36	+31.336s	1:26.784	6
8th	62	Ferdinand von Habsburg	Audi Team WRT	36	+31.604s	1:27.694	4
9th	16	Timo Glock	BMW Team RMG	36	+36.888s	1:28.035	2
10th	8	Robert Kubica	BMW Team ART	36	+43.576s	1:26.864	1
11th	22	Lucas Auer	BMW Team RMR	36	+45.131s	1:27.889
12th	10	Harrison Newey	Audi Team WRT	36	+46.632s	1:27.401
13th	25	Philipp Eng	BMW Team RBM	36	+56.845s	1:28.130
14th	11	Marco Wittmann	BMW Team RMG	36	+1:05.216	1:27.997
15th	13	Fabio Scherer	Audi Team WRT	36	+1:23.093	1:26.123
NC*	53	Jamie Green	Audi Team Rosberg	22	+14 Laps	1:26.879
Source:

• ³ Indicates a driver was awarded points for qualifying in the top three.
• Bold indicates a driver started from pole.
• Italics indicate that a driver set fastest lap.
• * Green was unable to be classified as he failed to complete 90% of the race distance.

Milestones

• Second and final pole position for Loïc Duval.
• Robin Frijns secured his maiden victory.
• Robert Kubica scored his first DTM points.

Standings

Nico Müller had extended his lead in the Championship to 30 points after the seventh race, the Swiss ace having moved onto 149 points for the campaign. Robin Frijns, meanwhile, had moved into second to be his teammate's closest challenger, with defending Champion René Rast slipping to third a further twelve behind the Dutchman. Loïc Duval was next up ahead of Timo Glock, the best of the BMW pilots in fifth, while Robert Kubica's maiden point left Fabio Scherer as the only non-scorer.

In the Teams' Championship Audi Team Abt had seen their lead once again extend as they were the biggest scorers of the day for the seventh straight race, moving them onto 268 points. That left the German squad 114 points clear of Audi Team Rosberg in second, while Audi Team Phoenix had moved back into their ahead of BMW Team RMG. Audi, meanwhile, would still hold their commanding position in the Manufacturers' Championship, 279 points clear of BMW.

2020 Drivers' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Nico Müller 149 ◄0 2nd Robin Frijns 119 ▲1 3rd René Rast 107 ▼1 4th Loïc Duval 57 ▲4 5th Timo Glock 54 ▼1 6th Mike Rockenfeller 52 ▲1 7th Jamie Green 47 ▼2 8th Marco Wittmann 40 ▼2 9th Lucas Auer 35 ◄0 10th Sheldon van der Linde 35 ◄0 11th Philipp Eng 20 ◄0 12th Jonathan Aberdein 19 ◄0 13th Ferdinand von Habsburg 13 ◄0 14th Harrison Newey 1 ◄0 15th Robert Kubica 1 ▲1 16th Fabio Scherer 0 ▼1

2020 Teams' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Audi Team Abt 268 ◄0 2nd Audi Team Rosberg 154 ◄0 3rd Audi Team Phoenix 109 ▲1 4th BMW Team RMG 94 ▼1 5th BMW Team RBM 55 ◄0 6th BMW Team RMR 54 ◄0 7th Audi Team WRT 14 ◄0 8th BMW Team ART 1 ◄0 2020 Manufacturers' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Audi 482 ◄0 2nd BMW 203 ◄0

References

Images and Videos:

• Liveries: byggxx, 'Rennwagen (2020)', dtm.fandom.com/de, (DTM Wiki/de, 2015), https://dtm.fandom.com/de/wiki/Kategorie:Rennwagen_(2020), (Accessed 29/05/2021)

References: