Arjun Maini makes history in the Austrian mountains, becoming the first Indian to secure a DTM pole position.

Spielberg [Austria], September 30: Arjun Maini achieved his first-ever pole position in DTM during a thrilling qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. After numerous lead changes on the timing sheets, it was the Mercedes-AMG driver who stayed composed and posted the fastest lap time of 1:30.128 minutes on his final attempt.

With this achievement, Maini will now start from the front of the grid for the first time in race 13 of this DTM season.

Reflecting on the achievement, Maini said, "It was really crazy because my radio wasn’t working, so I didn’t know the result right away. I tried to catch the timings on the screens around the track, but they were too far away. Securing pole position feels incredible, and I’ll enjoy the moment for a few hours before the race begins."

The drivers faced cool conditions, with temperatures around 10 degrees, and parts of the track remained damp for the first qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring. Initially, many drivers opted for wet-weather tires before switching to Pirelli slicks. The lead kept changing hands, with Mercedes-AMG drivers consistently among the fastest. Just before the session concluded, Lamborghini driver Paul briefly took the lead, but Maini clinched pole with his final lap.

The DTM grid is fiercely competitive, with 20 drivers representing top manufacturers like Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Audi, McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini. Many of these drivers also compete in the GT3 World Endurance Championships and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. The DTM season consists of eight rounds, each featuring two qualifying sessions and two races.

Arjun celebrated his podium finish by raising the Indian flag.

Maini had a strong start to the race, running side by side with Maro Engel, who eventually took the lead. After the pit stop, Maini displayed impressive pace, pulling away by 12 seconds over P4. He finished the race in P3, marking his second podium of the season. Mirko Bortolotti, with strong pace, claimed victory in P1. 

"The conditions were tricky with a drying track while we were on wet-weather tires. We pitted a lap later and ended up in a net P4 position after all the cars had pitted. I managed to pass Luca and secure P3 with much better pace on slicks. Overall, it feels great to be back on the podium. I want to thank the Mercedes-AMG team HRT for providing me with a fantastic car, and I’m excited to keep this momentum going," Maini said.