Wittmann cool on Bathurst qualifying chances

While multiple drivers can run during the qualifying sessions, teams will need to elect a driver to get the best of the rubber, and then take the car in the single-lap Top 10 Shootout should they make it through.

Despite rocketing to the fastest lap of the day with a 2m03.219, two-time DTM champ Wittmann isn’t expecting to be automatically the first choice for qualifying tomorrow, saying that he’ll let the BMW Team SRM crew choose between him, Steve Richards, and Mark Winterbottom.

“I don’t know, to be honest. That’s the team’s decision,” he said. “I’d like to do it, but it’s out of my hands.”

Wittmann added that he’s not sure how much additional time they’ll need to find to ensure a Top 10 spot in qualifying tomorrow, with lap times still a fair way off the very low two-minute bracket that was predicted pre-event.

“I don’t know how the much the others have in their pocket. And today it was very important to have a clean lap, with all the traffic. You never stop, you need to keep trying to improve things.”

Despite playing down its significance in regards to the remainder of the weekend, Wittmann said topping the Friday running was a major confidence boost for the Melbourne-based, factory-backed team.

“Tomorrow is the day when it counts, but for sure, it’s a great way to start the weekend,” he said. “It’s great for the guys in the team, the mechanics and the engineers, to be at the front.

“We’ll keep working at it and trying to improve the car and the balance, to be in good shape for qualifying and the race.”