Schubert driver Kelvin van der Linde celebrates his first DTM victory with BMW, but made a mistake: Why the returnee was “a little annoyed” with himself
The relief was clearly visible on Kelvin van der Linde’s face after his victory in the second DTM race at Zandvoort (race report): The Schubert BMW driver had controlled the race confidently for long stretches before making a mistake about 20 minutes before the end, which even cost him the lead for a time.
“I was a bit annoyed with myself, but I couldn’t dwell on it for too long,” the South African admitted at the post-race press conference. “I just had to keep pushing, because there were five other cars right behind me.”
But what actually happened? “I don’t know if it was visible on TV, but it was extremely slippery out there today,” van der Linde reports. “There were a lot of rubber debris from the various support categories lying around off the ideal line.”
“If you go just a tiny bit too wide, you lose the car very easily.” That’s exactly what happened to the BMW driver in the Kumhobocht, the penultimate corner of the Dünenkurs: Van der Linde strayed slightly from the ideal line, giving Thierry Vermeulen (Emil Frey Ferrari) the opportunity to take the lead.
Kelvin van der Linde benefits from fresh tires
“Of course, that wasn’t ideal because I knew the Ferrari was very fast,” adds van der Linde, who benefited from his retirement on Saturday: “My only trump card was actually that I knew fresh tires would be waiting for me at the pit stop. So I knew I might still get a chance to attack him.”
“But he was very fast in the middle stint of the race.” In fact, the Ferrari driver pulled away by more than two seconds at times, making BMW’s first win of the season seem like a distant prospect. “I knew I had to drive a clean in-lap and a clean out-lap to fight my way back,” explains van der Linde.
On top of that, there was apparently a driving error by the Dutchman, who, much like van der Linde himself, briefly strayed from the ideal line. “I don’t know if they showed that on TV, but I think that ultimately cost him a few positions during the pit stop as well.”
“So it was just very difficult to stay on the track. The safety car also left a lot of rubber on the track at times, which was difficult for us because we had a lot of pickup at the restart. To be honest, the conditions were difficult, and you could never relax—you always had to stay fully focused.”
Speaking of concentration: The Emil Frey team also made a mistake during Vermeulen’s pit stop when the Ferrari was briefly deflated even though the left front wheel hadn’t been mounted yet. That cost time, but the Dutchman still returned to the track ahead of the eventual race winner.
Zandvoort winner draws on experience from the 2024 season
By that point, however, the BMW driver had already brought his tires into the right operating window—and struck back shortly afterward: With a bold move on the outside of Turn 7, van der Linde passed the Ferrari. “That was actually a bit of déjà vu for me,” says the South African.
“I don’t know if you remember 2024—back then, Thierry and Rene Rast were ahead of me, and I passed them on the outside in the Audi,” the BMW works driver recalls of the race two years ago. “That’s why I knew there was grip there. So I tried it in the BMW too, and it worked pretty well.“
”I’m very happy with that move. It was extremely important to get through the chaos and then pull away. I’d say that was the race-deciding overtaking maneuver.” Kelvin van der Linde then extended his lead to more than six seconds in the closing stages.
“I actually had a bit of luck that the cars behind me were battling it out,” says the Schubert BMW driver with a grin. “Of course, I had a tire advantage at the end, but it looked like there was quite a bit of chaos behind me.”
“That’s why I just tried to use the momentum on my side, stay focused, and drive clean laps. I saw the gap getting bigger. I didn’t take any risks, but of course it helps when the cars behind you are battling each other.”
Van der Linde secures first BMW victory in the DTM
Kelvin van der Linde celebrates his first DTM victory driving for BMW. “The first BMW victory is something very special for me. I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” says the South African, who was on the verge of his BMW debut victory at the season opener.
“We were very strong in qualifying at Spielberg and here as well, but we couldn’t capitalize on it in Spielberg. That’s why we put a lot of work into the small details to maximize our out-lap performance and our pit stops.”
“I think that paid off today,” says van der Linde, who moves up to seventh place in the overall standings. “I’m very proud of the entire team that we were able to fight back today and really show what we’re capable of. And we want more.”