Liam Lawson was involved in a collision with Audi driver Kelvin van der Linde on lap one, turn one of the final race of the DTM season at the Norisring, Germany.
Lawson had made a flawless start from pole position, but when defending his lead under-braking, his rival braked too late and crashed into the side of the Red Bull liveried #30 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020. Despite being able to continue with a severely damaged car to finish 18th, the crash cost the New Zealander the title in the Drivers’ Championship.
Nick Cassidy, also of New Zealand, was also a victim of the crash at the start and dropped to the back of the field; he fought back strongly until he again fell back down the standings as a consequence of another collision. He eventually crossed the finish line in 13th place.
Lawson had set the fastest time in qualifying, for which he was rewarded with a further three points and the best possible position in the battle for the title going into the final race.
Cassidy started from third on the grid; after they were both hit and forced off the track by van der Linde in the first corner, Lawson’s only hope of being crowned champion was for neither South Africa’s van der Linde nor German Maximilian Götz – his closest rivals – to win the race. While van der Linde subsequently suffered a puncture and dropped back, Götz moved forward to eventually assume the race lead and claim a come-from-behind race win and championship victory.
Lawson ended his debut season in the DTM in second place overall, with three wins, four pole positions and 10 podiums to his name; his results ensured he was the clear winner of the Junior classification. Meanwhile, Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse claimed the teams title. Lawson, 19, said: “I’m obviously very disappointed and gutted for my whole team. They really deserved this title. To be taken out by the same guy over and over again says it all. Turn one, lap one of the race – what can you say? I just feel bad for my whole team.”
Nick Cassidy, 27, said: “Obviously the result today was not perfect, but we tried our best. After a great performance in qualifying by Liam and me it was great to start at the front. Unfortunately, some circumstances out of our control didn’t help in the race. I was really pleased with my drive to come back from half a lap down to P4. The pace of the car was amazing and I tried my best to fight for the win. In the end it wasn’t meant to be. Thanks to the team for the opportunity to race here. I had a lot of fun.”
Race 1 result (Top 5):
1st Maximilian Götz (GER) – Mercedes-AMG Team HRT
2nd Arjun Maini (IND) – Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed
3rd Liam Lawson (NZL) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse
4th Kelvin van der Linde (RSA) – Team ABT Sportsline
5th Nick Cassidy (NZL) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse
Race 2 result (Top 5):
1st Maximilian Götz (GER) – Mercedes-AMG Team HRT
2nd Lucas Auer (AUT) – Mercedes-AMG Team Winward
3rd Maximilian Buhk (GER) – Mercedes AMG Team Mücke Motorsport
4th Mike Rockenfeller (GER) – Team ABT Sportsline
5th Dani Juncadella (ESP) – Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing
DTM Drivers’ Championship:
1st Maximilian Götz (GER) – Mercedes-AMG Team HRT 230 points
2nd Liam Lawson (NZL) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse 227
3rd Kelvin van der Linde (RSA) – Team ABT Sportsline 208
4th Marco Wittmann (GER) – Walkenhorst Motorsport 171
5th Lucas Auer (AUT) – Mercedes-AMG Team Winward 152
6th Alex Albon (THA) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse 130
… 16th Nick Cassidy (NZL) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse 11
DTM Team Championship:
1st Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse 368 points
2nd Team ABT Sportsline 296
3rd Mercedes-AMG Team Winward 281
4th Mercedes-AMG Team HRT 262
5th Walkenhorst Motorsport 171