Landgraf Merced꧟es driver Lucas Auer converted pole position into a fi🌠ne victory in Saturday’s DTM race at the Lausitzring.

Having returned to the winners’ circle for the first time since 2021 at the Oschersleben last mont𒁃h, Auer scored yet another victory 𒉰in the first race of the Lausitzring double header to extend his lead in the drivers’ championship.

The Austrian driver pulled away cleanly from pole position at the start of ไthe race, ꦜas Winward’s Maro Engel dispatched Land Motorsport Audi’s Ricardo Feller to establish a 1-2 for Mercedes at the front of the field.

The order at the front remained the same until the pitstop cycle, when Engel took advantage of an overcut to leapfrog the #22�𝕴� Mercedes-AMG of Auer.

However, with his tyres up to temperature alꦐready, Auer was able to hunt down Engel and pass him at Turn 1 ✱at the start of the following lap and seize the lead again.

From there on, the 30-year-old was never really threatened for victory, taking thꩵe c🎐hequered flag by 1.3s.

Schubert BMW’s Rene Rast completed the podium in ﷽third place after passing the Audi of Feller at the start of the race and then delaying his mandatory tyre change until the end of the pitstop window.

Fourth place went to Winw🧔ard Mercedes driver Jules Gounon after an intense battle with Schubert BMW rival Marco Wittmann that continued until the final lap 🌠of the race.

2023 DTM champion Thomas Preining followed Gounon and Wittmann in sixth place in the𝓡 best of the Manthey Porsches, with Jack Aitken not too far behind in the l🔯ead Emil Frey Ferrari.

Morris Sc𝓰huring and Luca Engstler retired from the race due to an incident on lap 1, which brought out the safety car.

DTM Lausitzring - Saturday race results: