First Balance of Performance adjustment at the Nürburgring ahead of the second day of DTM racing: Will the changes help Aston Martin driver Nicki Thiim?
After Aston Martin driver Nicki Thiim felt he was being treated unfairly by the Balance of Performance (BoP) on Saturday—and, in his own words, was “fighting with a stick” against opponents armed with “guns”—there is now some hope for him heading into Sunday: The ratings have been adjusted for five of the eight cars.
The Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, which Thiim will be driving, loses ten kilograms, which should have a positive effect in the corners. In addition, boost pressure has been increased by 0.02 to 0.03 bar across nearly the entire RPM range, which is an advantage for acceleration and top speed.
While the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo—in which Matteo Cairoli won on Saturday—the Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo, which brought Thomas Preining to second place, and the Ford Mustang GT3 Evo, whose drivers conserved their tires for Sunday, remain unchanged, there are some changes for the other brands.
For the BMW M4 GT3 Evo, in which Marco Wittmann finished third on Saturday after starting from fourth on the grid, ten kilograms may be removed from the weight box. In addition, the boost pressure in the mid-range from 5,000 to 7,000 revolutions per minute will also be increased by 0.02 to 0.03 bar.
The Lamborghini Temerario GT3, which did not feature among the front-runners on Saturday, is also allowed to reduce its weight by five kilograms. In addition, boost pressure will be increased by 0.02 to 0.03 bar across the entire RPM range.
There is also positive news for the Mercedes-AMG GT3—in which DTM leader Maro Engel and Lucas Auer finished fifth and sixth—and for the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, in which Ben Dörr finished fourth. Both cars are permitted to shed 20 kilograms. Meanwhile, engine power remains unchanged.
Sunday’s qualifying session will begin at 9:10 a.m. It remains to be seen whether the adjustments will alter the balance of power among the various cars.