HOCKENHEIM: Indian driver Arjun Maini displayed impressive pace at the Hockenheim race circuit before an error spoilt his weekend in the DTM Championship, here.
The Mercedes-AMG driver had one of his most productive weekends at the penultimate round of the DTM Championship with the Indian firmly establishing himself at the front of the field.
He finished eighth overall during the weekend’s second race.
Maini looked a good bet to secure his first podium finish of the season after a strong first free practice session that left him at the top of the standings for the first time this year.
The result gave Maini the confidence to experiment with his car’s setup during the weekend’s second practice session before the Indian claimed a creditable fifth place during the weekend’s first qualifying session.
Maini failed to capitalise on his strong pace with the usually composed Mercedes driver, making a rare driving error as the field made its way towards the circuit’s hairpin on the first lap.
He misjudged his braking and he careened into the fellow Mercedes driver Lucas Auer, with the ensuing impact ending his race prematurely.
The mistake also earned Maini a five-place grid penalty with the ramifications coming during the weekend’s second qualifying session.
Despite the previous day’s events, Maini put in an impeccable performance during Qualifying 2, with the Indian claiming third overall, missing out on pole by just .11 of a second.
However, the penalty meant he would ultimately start eighth and despite gambling on an alternate strategy that saw him pit later than the drivers around him, Maini ended the race in P8 on the Track.
Due to a 5 sec Pitstop infringement penalty the Indian driver ultimately finished in P8.
The DTM finale will take place in a week’s time.
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