The2010 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters was the twenty-fourth season of premier German touring car championship and also eleventh season under the moniker ofDeutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) since the series' resumption in 2000. The season began on 25 April at theHockenheimring, and ended on 28 November at theShanghai Street Circuit, after eleven rounds held in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy and China. Having finished second in2008 and third in2009,HWA Team'sPaul di Resta became champion for the first time, having come out on top of a three-way title battle in Shanghai.
The 2010 season would beDunlop's final season as the sole tyre supplier in DTM as the company announced on 19 November 2010 that it would not renew its contract at the end of the season. After several months of deliberation,Hankook was chosen as the tyre supplier for the2011 season.[1]
Di Resta had trailed teammateBruno Spengler – a race winner at Lausitz and the Nürburgring – by as many as fifteen points after four races, but by the ninth race, di Resta had taken the championship lead after five top-two finishes including three wins. A poor finish for di Resta atAdria – ninth after being helped into spins byAudi driversMike Rockenfeller andMiguel Molina – coupled with Spengler's third place allowed the Canadian driver to take a three-point lead into the final race. Another HWA driver,2005 season championGary Paffett remained in mathematical contention, succeeding in needing a top-two finish at Adria, which left him nine points behind with ten available. Spengler left himself immediately in trouble in Shanghai, crashing during the qualification session which left him 17th on the grid, while di Resta and Paffett lined up on the front row. Spengler could only advance to thirteenth in the race, while his teammates battled for victory. Ultimately, Paffett won the race – ended early due to a collision between Rockenfeller andSusie Stoddart – but di Resta's second place allowed him to take the championship by four points. Paffett's victory also enabled him to overhaul Spengler for second place, by just one point.
Best of the rest went to the defending two-time championTimo Scheider, who finished as top Audi in fourth place in the championship standings. Scheider, albeit scoring in each of the first five races, struggled for form in the early running, but recovered towards the end of the season and took a single victory during the season, winning at Adria.Mattias Ekström was the only other Audi driver to win a race during the season, winning the series' inaugural race at Valencia but only returned twice to the podium after that; finishing the season in fifth place.Jamie Green was the season's other race-winner, winning for the third season in a row at theNorisring, each of which had been taken in a 2008-specification car. Green finished three points behind Ekström, in sixth place in the points standings.
The following manufacturers, teams and drivers competed in the 2010 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. All teams competed with tyres supplied byDunlop.
Changed Teams
Entering DTM
Leaving DTM
| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 April | HWA Team | ||||
| 2 | 23 May | Abt Sportsline | ||||
| 3 | 6 June | HWA Team | ||||
| 4 | 4 July | Persson Motorsport | ||||
| 5 | 8 August | HWA Team | ||||
| 6 | 22 August | HWA Team | ||||
| 7 | 5 September | HWA Team | ||||
| 8 | 19 September | HWA Team | ||||
| 9 | 17 October | HWA Team | ||||
| 10 | 31 October | Abt Sportsline | ||||
| 11 | 28 November | HWA Team |
|
Bold – Pole |
| Pos. | Team | No. | HOC | VAL | LAU | NOR | NÜR | ZAN | BRH | OSC | HOC | ADR | SHA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salzgitter / Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 133 |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | Ret | 3 | 13 | |||
| 2 | Laureus AMG Mercedes | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 74 |
| 8 | 9 | Ret | 9 | 11 | 6 | 9 | Ret | 9 | Ret | 11 | 10 | |||
| 3 | Audi Sport Team Abt | 1 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 71 |
| 2 | Ret | 14† | 11 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 17 | |||
| 4 | Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline | 5 | 6 | 1 | Ret | 2 | 7 | 4 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 8 | 9 | 55 |
| 6 | 17† | DSQ | 6 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 4 | |||
| 5 | TV Spielfilm / Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes | 11 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 36 |
| 12 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 15 | Ret | 15 | Ret | 10 | 7 | 14 | 11 | |||
| 6 | Audi Sport Team Phoenix | 9 | 10 | 3 | Ret | 7 | Ret | 11 | 8 | 6 | Ret | Ret | DNS | 34 |
| 10 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 12 | |||
| 7 | Audi Sport Rookie Team Abt | 18 | 8 | 8 | 13 | Ret | 14 | 5 | 4 | Ret | Ret | 17† | 5 | 15 |
| 8 | Audi Sport Team Rosberg | 14 | 15 | 15† | 10 | Ret | Ret | DNS | 15† | Ret | Ret | 4 | 7 | 7 |
| 15 | 14 | DNS | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | Ret | Ret | 15 | 14 | |||
| 8 | Deutsche Post / GQ AMG Mercedes | 16 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 9 | 8 | Ret | 11 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 4 |
| 17 | 12 | 13† | Ret | 13 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | Ret | 10 | 8 | |||
| Pos. | Team | No. | HOC | VAL | LAU | NOR | NÜR | ZAN | BRH | OSC | HOC | ADR | SHA | Points |
I've got a job in DTM with Mercedes and a job in Formula 1 with McLaren. There is still a relationship between the two through the engines and, although there is a rivalry there now, I'm very much with McLaren in F1 and Mercedes in DTM.
Coulthard will be joined in the 2008 Mercedes line-up by former A1GP racer Franky Cheng.