Kiwi Nick Cassidy served up a home victory at Spielberg for Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse fans in the only Austrian round of the 2022 DTM season. Cassidy continued where he had finished the previous race at Spa-Francorchamps: at the head of the field. The Kiwi had placed second in Spielberg Qualifying behind German René Rast, but Rast had a three-place grid penalty to serve – coincidentally from initiating contact with Cassidy in Spa – which moved the #37 AlphaTauri Ferrari up to pole.
“As a team we’d done well at Portimão and the Norisring, which I think are two good tracks for the Ferrari, and I think now with Spa and the race here, we’re getting back to tracks that work for us,” commented Cassidy. “Winning in the AlphaTauri car at the Red Bull Ring is very special and a personal career highlight for me. DTM is at such a high level and this is one of the top teams in the championship – it’s a pleasure to drive for them.”
Seizing the advantage, Cassidy made the most of it in Saturday’s race, seemingly unfazed by the extra 25 kg of ‘success’ ballast his Ferrari 488 GT3 EVO 2020 was carrying as winner of the previous contest.
Having missed two DTM rounds this season due to Formula E commitments, the 28-year-old had nothing to lose and played the spoiler among the championship’s leaders, as his superb driving and the team’s pit-stop precision kept him in the lead from pole to the chequered flag.
The victory meant Cassidy was the second DTM championship driver this season to capture more than a single race win and also set a milestone as the landmark 500th race win for the Ferrari 488 GT car.
Meanwhile, for Cassidy’s teammate Felipe Fraga, a 27-year-old who has claimed a win and a podium in 2022, an otherwise unlucky season continued as he was rear-ended in turn three during Race 1 and retired his Red Bull-liveried #74 Ferrari in the first lap.
Both drivers were back for Race 2, which began in the wet. On the undulating, 4.318-km track in the heart of Austria’s Styrian mountains, Cassidy and Fraga handled the pouring rain of Qualifying well, finishing with 0.035s between them to start from second and third on the grid respectively.
Both then carried an extra 20 kg of BoP ballast that organisers had allotted to the Ferraris overnight, plus Cassidy also had the 25 kg winner’s ballast.
The 55-minute plus one lap race started in the blinding spray, but with the forecast set to clear, teams had to make their best guess as to tyre strategy. Pitting early on, Cassidy’s tyres for the wet were hot and ineffective by the end of the race, for a 19th-place result. Meanwhile Fraga masterfully managed two spins, including a heart-stopper after he switched to slicks, but the setbacks left him in 16th.
Race 1 result, Red Bull Ring
1/ Nick Cassidy (NZL) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse
2/ René Rast (GER) – Team ABT
3/ Mirko Bortolotti (ITA) – GRT
26/ Felipe Fraga (BRA) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse
Race 2 result, Red Bull Ring
1/ Thomas Preining (AUT) – Küs Team Bernhard
2/ Luca Stolz (GER) – Mercedes-AMG Team HRT
3/ Maro Engel (GER) – Mercedes-AMG Team Gruppem Racing
16/ Felipe Fraga (BRA) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse
19/ Nick Cassidy (NZL) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse
2022 DTM Drivers Championship standings after seven rounds
1/ Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) – 130pts
2/ Lucas Auer (AUT) – 119
3/ René Rast (GER) – 117
12/ Nick Cassidy (NZL) – 64
14/ Felipe Fraga (BRA) – 60
2022 DTM Teams Championship standings after seven rounds
1/ Schubert Motorsport – 185pts
2/ ABT Sportsline – 142
3/ Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse – 129
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