Finally, after nearly a week, we have word from the head of the DTM Series Gehard Berger after the fiasco at the Norisring finale.
“The DTM 2021 was an outstanding season with high class teams, world-class drivers and top brands on the grid, which has found a worthy champion in Maximilian Goetz. We didn’t expect what happened during the season finale at the Norisring.
“We are aware that what happened was extremely disappointing for all fans, because fairness should always come first in sports. I have already given my opinion on this. But now I would like to look ahead: I can assure all DTM fans that we will use all of our options to improve the 2022 regulations so that fair competition will be the priority.”
Well, a week is a very long time to offer some sort of ‘official’ explanation. All I can say is you don’t take a boat to sea without making sure it is water tight and the DTM Series was leaking like a sieve at the final round.
In the final deciding race of the 2021 season, Kiwi driver, Liam Lawson, in an Italian team (AF Corse Ferrari) is on pole for the final race of the season, leading the championship. Title rival, Kelvin van der Linde (Audi), tried to dive past Lawson under braking for Turn 2 and ran to deep clipping Lawson and effectively taking him out of both the race and championship after damaging his steering. Van de Linde’s ‘efforts’ were penaltised with a five-second penalty and later in the race he spun out of title contention with a puncture.
Meanwhile out in front, Austrian Lucas Auer held a comfortable lead over Phillip Ellis followed by Maximillian Gotz, the only other rival who had a chance to win the title (all three driving Mercedes). In the dying laps, team orders were issued, both Auer and Ellis slowed down to let Gotz through, with the German driver winning aftr taking the lead on lap 64 of 67, and enough points to clinch the title.
The backlash on social media has been (and still is) immense. Read any DTM post and the comment stream is continuous in both English and German, all condemning what took place.
Now its reputation is in tatters and what Berger offers, in words, is less than adequate.
Gotz is not a worthy champion. He is a worthy driver and he will know, and feel, that there is a hollowness in claiming the 2021 title. What would Berger have said if van de Linde had won the title after his on-track actions and the weak repercussions (a five-second penalty).
The DTM relationships involved are complex.
Berger was the first Red Bull sponsored Formula One driver and has a lot of history with Dietrich Mateschitz, owner of the company. Of course, the driver who came off badly from the fiasco was Red Bull Junior driver, Liam Lawson, driving for the Red Bull AF Corse Ferrari team.
Lucas Auer, who was leading the race with three-laps to go before being ordered to slow, is Berger’s nephew.
We can only imagine what conversations have taken place.
As for Kelvin van de Linde. Again, too much water has gone under the bridge for his late apology to Lawson to be accepted as genuine. He now joins the (lowly) ranks of Dan Ticktum and Santino Ferrucci with a tarnished reputation for on track thuggery.
What happened at the Norisring, the weak penalty for van de Linde and later allowing Mercedes to determine a championship outcome, should never have been allowed to happen in the first place. Berger knows it and is now in damage control. Like a leaking boat, you only have so many fingers to plug the holes.
Main photo: Motorsport consultant Helmut Marko (Red Bull) and Gerhard Berger (in happier times)
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