A1-Ring

Friday practices

Marcel won at the A1-Ring last year, although it was a surprise victory from one of the most amazing DTM races there's been. This year he's again concentrating on the task ahead of him: in the Friday practices he was sixth and fifth fastest and the times were very close.

In practice one, Marcel's AMG teammate Jean Alesi topped the times, 1:28.935, and Marcel himself was just three tenths of a second behind. The top twelve were separated by less than a second and was a mixed group of all three manufacturers -- five Mercedes, three Opels and four Audis.

In the second session the times at the top were just as close. Marcel had been running third fastest most of the practice until Bernd Schneider and Mattais Ekström put in fast times in the last few minutes. Schneider set the best, a 1:27.623, and Marcel was four tenths behind. The top nine were less than a second apart and it looks like qualifying will be just as close.

"Everything ran well," said Marcel. "For the first time in a long time I was fast right from the start and with the front runners."

Saturday qualifying

Third pole position of the year at the A1-Ring!

Marcel was sixth fastest in the morning practice and seventh in the first qualifying. The session was red-flagged briefly when Manuel Reuter's Opel got stuck in a gravel trap and there were a few off track excursions and spins. Again the times were close, with the top twelve separated by less than a second; Jean Alesi was top with a 1:27.019 and Marcel was three tenths off his teammate.

In the super-pole Marcel was out fourth for his flying lap and set a 1:27.212 that proved unbeatable. Alesi was just three hundredths of a second behind and Christijan Albers two tenths down in third. A strong starting grid for Mercedes with the top three slots and Bernd Schneider fifth behind Laurent Aiello.

"After I didn't manage to build up enough grip in qualifying, I started the single-lap qualifying with used tyres," said Marcel. "This paid off and it was one of the keys to pole position. The balance of the car was excellent and I thank everybody in our team for their efforts."

"Everything worked, the car was perfect. Already this weekend my car was running well and we could prepare well for Sunday. My super-pole didn't have any big errors; I will be giving everything for victory tomorrow but it all depends on the start."

Sunday race

Victory for Marcel at the A1-Ring!

The A1-Ring may not have been one of Marcel's favourite tracks but perhaps it is now. For the second consecutive year he won in Austria and this time a well deserved victory after a long hard battle with Bernd Schneider.

He had a great start while second on the grid Jean Alesi appeared to jump, then pause and slipped down the field. Marcel had already opened a gap after the first few corners but then disaster struck behind him. Opel's Peter Dumbreck hit the back of Schneider, then the Audi of Christian Abt. Abt in turn bounced into Alesi and the pair hurtled off track, hitting the tyre wall.

Alesi rebounded back onto the tarmac and came to a halt in the middle of the track. The safety car was deployed and it took some time to get Abt's car out of the gravel. All three involved were out of the race but Schneider managed to escape any serious damage.

So, at the restart it was Marcel leading from Christijan Albers, Laurent Aiello and Schneider. Apart from the pit stop shuffles, Marcel led from start to finish but it was by no means an easy victory. He pitted for the first time along with Schneider and Bernd nearly got the jump on him but Marcel held him off in the pit lane to retain the lead.

Schneider was always very close and pitted before Marcel the second time; Marcel came in the lap afterwards and the AMG team executed a stunning 3.9 second stop that catapulted him back out in front and set a DTM record.

It all got a bit heated in the final laps: Marcel locked his front wheels and Schneider made a move but didn't make it stick. Again it happened and Marcel grimly held the lead then on the final lap they went head to head. Marcel locked up yet again as his tyres faded and Schneider took the advantage.

They touched door-to-door, went side by side through the next curve, pushing and shoving but Marcel again defended beautifully and held the lead. It was a nerve wracking finish but finally Schneider admitted defeat and Marcel took the chequered flag for his first win of the year.

Last year the A1-Ring provided the most exciting race of 2002 and for 2003 it did it again. So many times Schneider had chances to force his way through but every time Marcel kept his head and won the battle. Albers finished third to make it a Mercedes 1-2-3.

"I was already pulling away (at the start) but something happened and the safety car came out and my lead was lost," said Marcel. "The fight against Bernd was very hard. I was having problems with my brakes, I tried for the last five or six laps to adjust the balance."

"But you could see I was having problems and Bernd threatened my position several times. He was putting me under a lot of pressure but finally I made it. Also, my team must have their share of the victory because they gave me the fastest pit stop of the race."

Three time Formula One champion Niki Lauda, who was present at the A1-Ring, was impressed: "The fight between Schneider and Fässler was breathtaking right to the end," he said. "You couldn't ask for a better motor race."

See news for Marcel's view of the A1-Ring