2021 Assen Race 1

2021 Assen Race 1
The Assen TT Circuit returned for 2021
Race Information
Date	18 September 2021
No.	280 (11 of 2021)
Event	DTM Assen 2021
Location	TT Circuit Assen Assen, Drenthe, Netherlands
Format	55 min + 1 Lap
Lap length	4.555 km (2.829 mi)
Distance	35 laps / 159.425 km (99.062 mi)
Qualifying Result
Pole Sitter	Liam Lawson
Team	Red Bull AF Corse
Time	1:32.186
Fastest Lap
Driver	Mirko Bortolotti
Team	T3 Motorsport
Time	1:34.317 on lap 10
Race Result
First	Second	Third
Marco Wittmann	Mirko Bortolotti	Liam Lawson
Winner Team	Walkenhorst Motorsport
Time	1:00:16.354
Race Guide
Previous		Next
2021 Spielberg Race 2		2021 Assen Race 2

The 2021 Assen Race 1, otherwise known as the DTM Assen 2021 Race 1, was the eleventh race of the 2021 DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship, staged at the TT Circuit Assen in Assen, Drenthe, Netherlands, on 18 September 2021. The race would see Marco Wittmann claim victory for the second time in 2021, as Mirko Bortolotti claimed his and Lamborghini's maiden podium finish in his first race.

Qualifying had been dominated by the top six in the Championship, with Liam Lawson claiming pole position despite carrying maximum ballast. Wittmann was just 0.016s behind in second ahead of Bortolotti, Maximilian Götz completed the second row ahead of Philip Ellis and another guest driver in the form of Christian Klien, while Alexander Albon and Kelvin van der Linde shared the fourth row.

The start of the race saw Lawson leap into the lead, while Bortolotti, Wittmann and Götz scrapped for second, with the Italian emerging ahead in the first corner. Behind Daniel Juncadella smacked into the back of Alexander Albon as the race started, with several drivers picking up damage in the resulting crunch.

Debris from the start line accident resulted in the Safety Car being deployed before the end of the opening tour, which would stay out for five laps. At the restart Lawson would initially manage to break away from Bortolotti, before the Italian racer forced a move midway through lap six.

However, as Bortolotti set about establishing a lead his hopes of victory were being undermined, as Götz made an early stop and began lighting up the timing screens. Once everyone had stopped it was the German ace left in the lead ahead of the Italian, while Lawson slipped to third ahead of Ellis and Wittmann.

A second Safety Car would then reset the field, again triggered by debris, drawing Wittmann back into contention with half of the race to go. At the restart Lawson would jump a slow-to-react Bortolotti, while Wittmann surged ahead of Ellis and the #63 Lamborghini.

Now up to third, Wittmann set about claiming second from Lawson, elbowing his way through at turn eight with a robust move which earned him a five second time penalty. Regardless, the #11 BMW was soon on the tail of Götz and challenging for the lead, before making a cleaner move at the same corner to claim the lead.

With that the race was run, with Wittmann building an eight second lead in the closing stages to ensure that the time penalty would have no effect, securing his second victory of the season. Bortolotti, meanwhile, would move up to second late on with moves on Götz and Lawson, with Lawson too overcoming the #4 Mercedes-AMG before the end of the race. Klien was next up ahead of Sheldon van der Linde, Philip Ellis and Esteban Muth, Sophia Flörsch secured her first points finish with ninth ahead of Lucas Auer, while Esmee Hawkey and Kelvin van der Linde rounded out the scorers.

Background

The DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship would return to a familiar venue for the sixth round of the campaign, with the TT Circuit Assen in Assen, Drenthe, Netherlands holding two races in mid-September. The Assen circuit, which had appeared in 2020 on the DTM calendar, was unchanged for the 2021 visit, with the races to be staged in the day rather than the night after the switch the previous season. Elsewhere, there were two changes to the entry list for the sixth round, with Christian Klien returning with JP Motorsport, while Mirko Bortolotti would make his debut in the third T3 Motorsport Lamborghini, replacing Maximilian Paul.

Assen Adjustments

There would only be one change to the Balance of Performance calculations for the opening race in Assen, with a single manufacturer getting both their weight and boost pressure changed. The sole manufacturer affected would be Ferrari, which saw their two cars receive an extra 15 kg, as well as a 0.009 bar reduction in boost pressure after Liam Lawson's double victory in Austria. McLaren, meanwhile, would see their BoP remain as it had been set at the Nürburgring as they returned to the DTM fold with Klien.

Outlined below are the BoP calculations and success ballast allocations for the 2021 Assen Race 1:

2021 Assen Race 1 BoP
Manufacturer	Weight	Boost/Restrictor
Audi	1,335 kg (—)	2 x 43 mm (—)
BMW	1,335 kg (—)	2.135 bar (—)
Ferrari	1,335 kg (▲ 15 kg)	1.653 bar (▼ 0.009)
Lamborghini	1,305 kg (—)	2 x 42.5 mm (—)
McLaren	1,255 kg (—)	1.539 bar (—)
Mercedes-AMG	1,335 kg (—)	2 x 37.5 mm (—)
2021 Assen Race 1 Ballast Allocation
Liam Lawson	Marco Wittmann	Maximilian Götz
25 kg	18 kg	15 kg

Lawson's Lunge

Kelvin van der Linde had remained in the lead after the tenth race of the campaign, although his lead had been largely torn apart by his closest challenger. Indeed, a near-perfect weekend for Liam Lawson had seen the New Zealander move to within twelve of the South African racer in Austria, while Maximilian Götz was within sixteen of the leader. Elsewhere, Lawson was in complete control of the Junior Championship, 92 points clear of Sheldon van der Linde in second.

AF Corse would retain the lead they had gained in the Race 1, having moved onto 229 points after ten races. Team ABT Sportsline were in second, 21 points off the lead, while Mercedes Team Winward had retained their top three status with 163 points. In the Manufacturers' Championship Mercedes-AMG retained the lead, 103 points clear of old rivals Audi in second.

Entry List

The full entry list for the 2021 Assen Race 1 is displayed below:

2021 Assen Race 1 Entry List
No.	Name	Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Livery
3	Kelvin van der Linde	Team ABT Sportsline	Audi	R8 LMS Evo
4	Maximilian Götz	Mercedes-AMG Team HRT	Mercedes-AMG	GT3-Evo
5	Vincent Abril	Mercedes-AMG Team HRT	Mercedes-AMG	GT3-Evo
8	Daniel Juncadella	Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM	Mercedes-AMG	GT3-Evo
9	Mike Rockenfeller	Team ABT Sportsline	Audi	R8 LMS Evo
10	Esteban Muth	T3 Motorsport	Lamborghini	Huracán GT3 Evo
11	Marco Wittmann	Walkenhorst Motorsport	BMW	M6 GT3
12	Dev Gore	Team Rosberg	Audi	R8 LMS Evo
15	Christian Klien	JP Motorsport	McLaren	720S GT3
16	Timo Glock	ROWE Racing	BMW	M6 GT3
18	Maximilian Buhk	Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport	Mercedes-AMG	GT3-Evo
22	Lucas Auer	Mercedes-AMG Team Winward	Mercedes-AMG	GT3-Evo
23	Alexander Albon	AlphaTauri AF Corse	Ferrari	488 GT3 Evo 2020
26	Esmee Hawkey	T3 Motorsport	Lamborghini	Huracán GT3 Evo
30	Liam Lawson	Red Bull AF Corse	Ferrari	488 GT3 Evo 2020
31	Sheldon van der Linde	ROWE Racing	BMW	M6 GT3
36	Arjun Maini	Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed	Mercedes-AMG	GT3-Evo
51	Nico Müller	Team Rosberg	Audi	R8 LMS Evo
57	Philip Ellis	Mercedes-AMG Team Winward	Mercedes-AMG	GT3-Evo
63	Mirko Bortolotti	T3 Motorsport	Lamborghini	Huracán GT3 Evo
99	Sophia Flörsch	Team ABT	Audi	R8 LMS Evo
Source:

• Numbers with a green background indicate an entrant in the Junior Championship.

Qualifying

Results

The final qualifying result for the 2021 Assen Race 1 are outlined below:

2021 Assen Race 1 Qualifying Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Time	Gap	Ave. Speed	Grid
1st	30	Liam Lawson	Red Bull AF Corse	1:32.186	—	177.879 km/h	1
2nd	11	Marco Wittmann	Walkenhorst Motorsport	1:32.202	+0.016s	177.848 km/h	2
3rd	63	Mirko Bortolotti	T3 Motorsport	1:32.285	+0.099s	177.688 km/h	3
4th	4	Maximilian Götz	Mercedes Team HRT	1:32.323	+0.137s	177.615 km/h	4
5th	57	Philip Ellis	Mercedes Team Winward	1:32.350	+0.164s	177.563 km/h	5
6th	15	Christian Klien	JP Motorsport	1:32.402	+0.216s	177.463 km/h	6
7th	23	Alexander Albon	AlphaTauri AF Corse	1:32.411	+0.225s	177.446 km/h	7
8th	3	Kelvin van der Linde	Team ABT Sportsline	1:32.444	+0.258s	177.383 km/h	8
9th	8	Daniel Juncadella	Mercedes Team GruppeM	1:32.470	+0.284s	177.333 km/h	9
10th	51	Nico Müller	Team Rosberg	1:32.487	+0.301s	177.300 km/h	10
11th	5	Vincent Abril	Mercedes Team HRT	1:32.553	+0.367s	177.174 km/h	11
12th	31	Sheldon van der Linde	ROWE Racing	1:32.561	+0.375s	177.158 km/h	12
13th	36	Arjun Maini	Mercedes Team GetSpeed	1:32.598	+0.412s	177.088 km/h	13
14th	18	Maximilian Buhk	Mercedes Team Mücke	1:32.651	+0.465s	176.986 km/h	14
15th	22	Lucas Auer	Mercedes Team Winward	1:32.720	+0.534s	176.855 km/h	15
16th	10	Esteban Muth	T3 Motorsport	1:32.730	+0.544s	176.835 km/h	16
17th	9	Mike Rockenfeller	Team ABT Sportsline	1:32.865	+0.679s	176.578 km/h	17
18th	16	Timo Glock	ROWE Racing	1:33.157	+0.971s	176.025 km/h	18
19th	99	Sophia Flörsch	Team ABT	1:33.450	+1.264s	175.473 km/h	19
20th	26	Esmee Hawkey	T3 Motorsport	1:33.772	+1.586s	174.870 km/h	20
21st	12	Dev Gore	Team Rosberg	1:33.914	+1.728s	174.606 km/h	21
Source:

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

Grid

The starting grid for the 2021 Assen Race 1 in shown below:

		12	Dev Gore	1:33.914			99	Sophia Flörsch	1:33.450			9	Mike Rockenfeller	1:32.865			22	Lucas Auer	1:32.720			36	Arjun Maini	1:32.598			5	Vincent Abril	1:32.553			8	Daniel Juncadella	1:32.470			23	Alexander Albon	1:32.411			57	Philip Ellis	1:32.350			63	Mirko Bortolotti	1:32.285			30	Liam Lawson	1:32.186
						26	Esmee Hawkey		1:33.772		16	Timo Glock		1:33.157		10	Esteban Muth		1:32.730		18	Maximilian Buhk		1:32.651		31	Sheldon van der Linde		1:32.561		51	Nico Müller		1:32.487		3	Kelvin van der Linde		1:32.444		15	Christian Klien		1:32.402		4	Maximilian Götz		1:32.323		11	Marco Wittmann		1:32.202

Race

Results

The final classification of the 2021 Assen Race 1 is displayed below:

2021 Assen Race 1 Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Laps	Race Time	Fastest lap	Pts.
1st	11	Marco Wittmann	Walkenhorst Motorsport	35	1:00:16.354	1:34.504	252
2nd	63	Mirko Bortolotti	T3 Motorsport	35	+3.100s	1:34.317
3rd	30	Liam Lawson	Red Bull AF Corse	35	+4.336s	1:34.317	183
4th	4	Maximilian Götz	Mercedes Team HRT	35	+5.028s	1:34.644	151
5th	15	Christian Klien	JP Motorsport	35	+5.528s	1:34.516
6th	31	Sheldon van der Linde	ROWE Racing	35	+6.176s	1:34.834	12
7th	57	Philip Ellis	Mercedes Team Winward	35	+6.802s	1:34.863	10
8th	10	Esteban Muth	T3 Motorsport	35	+7.969s	1:34.813	8
9th	99	Sophia Flörsch	Team ABT	35	+11.147s	1:35.223	6
10th	22	Lucas Auer	Mercedes Team Winward	35	+12.615s	1:34.934	4
11th	26	Esmee Hawkey	T3 Motorsport	35	+16.929s	1:35.176	2
12th	3	Kelvin van der Linde	Team ABT Sportsline	35	+31.763s	1:34.757	1
13th	9	Mike Rockenfeller	Team ABT Sportsline	35	+43.062s	1:35.236
Ret	18	Maximilian Buhk	Mercedes Team Mücke	17	Retired	1:34.936
Ret	51	Nico Müller	Team Rosberg	13	Retired	1:34.969
Ret	23	Alexander Albon	AlphaTauri AF Corse	11	Retired	1:36.840
Ret	16	Timo Glock	ROWE Racing	7	Retired	1:37.485
Ret	36	Arjun Maini	Mercedes Team GetSpeed	1	Damage	—
Ret	5	Vincent Abril	Mercedes Team HRT	1	Damage	—
Ret	8	Daniel Juncadella	Mercedes Team GruppeM	0	Collision	—
WD	12	Dev Gore	Team Rosberg
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.

Milestones

• Debut race for Mirko Bortolotti.
• Seventeenth win for Marco Wittmann.
• Walkenhorst Motorsport secured their second victory as an entrant.
• Bortolotti claimed his maiden podium finish.
  • Bortolotti also recorded his first fastest lap.
• Maiden points finish for Sophia Flörsch and Esmee Hawkey.

Standings

Liam Lawson's seventh podium finish of the campaign would see the New Zealander finally move back to the top of the Championship hunt, overhauling Kelvin van der Linde. Indeed, van der Linde had slipped eight behind the New Zealander having arrived in the lead of the Championship hunt, while Marco Wittmann had moved level with the South African ace in third. Elsewhere, Lawson would also have complete control of the Junior Championship, 101 points clear of Sheldon van der Linde in second.

AF Corse had extended their lead in the Teams' Championship after the opening race in Assen, the Italian squad having moved 41 clear of Team ABT Sportsline in second. Mercedes Team Winward occupied third, 73 points off the lead, with Mercedes Team HRT in fourth. In the Manufacturers' Championship Mercedes-AMG continued to head the charge on 388 points, with Audi 126 points off the lead in second.

2021 Drivers' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Liam Lawson 156 ▲1 2nd Kelvin van der Linde 148 ▼1 3rd Marco Wittmann 148 ▲1 4th Maximilian Götz 147 ▼1 5th Philip Ellis 109 ◄0 6th Alexander Albon 94 ◄0 7th Lucas Auer 68 ◄0 8th Mike Rockenfeller 61 ◄0 9th Sheldon van der Linde 55 ▲2 10th Nico Müller 46 ▼1 11th Daniel Juncadella 43 ▼1 12th Esteban Muth 35 ◄0 13th Vincent Abril 22 ◄0 14th Arjun Maini 17 ◄0 15th Maximilian Buhk 11 ◄0 16th Timo Glock 8 ◄0 17th Sophia Flörsch 6 ▲4 18th Esmee Hawkey 2 ◄0 19th Christopher Haase 1 ▼2 20th Dev Gore 0 ▼1 21st Markus Winkelhock 0 ▼1 2021 Junior Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Liam Lawson 156 ◄0 2nd Sheldon van der Linde 55 ◄0 3rd Esteban Muth 35 ◄0 4th Sophia Flörsch 6 ◄0

2021 Teams' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st AF Corse 250 ◄0 2nd Team ABT Sportsline 209 ◄0 3rd Mercedes Team Winward 177 ◄0 4th Mercedes Team HRT 169 ◄0 5th Walkenhorst Motorsport 148 ◄0 6th ROWE Racing 63 ◄0 7th Team Rosberg 47 ◄0 8th Mercedes Team GruppeM 43 ◄0 9th T3 Motorsport 37 ◄0 10th Mercedes Team GetSpeed 17 ◄0 11th Mercedes Team Mücke 11 ◄0 12th Team ABT 6 ◄0 2021 Manufacturers' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Mercedes-AMG 388 ◄0 2nd Audi 262 ◄0 3rd Ferrari 250 ◄0 4th BMW 211 ◄0 5th Lamborghini 37 ◄0 6th McLaren 0 ◄0 7th Porsche 0 ◄0

References

Images and Videos:

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

References: