One podium, two team-mates: an interview with Marco Wittmann and Timo Glock of BMW Team MTEK

Munich (DE), 5th June 2013. BMW Team MTEK could hardly have wished for a more successful third race weekend of the DTM season in Spielberg (AT). Marco Wittmann (DE) finished runner-up behind fellow BMW driver Bruno Spengler (CA) and was joined on the podium by Timo Glock (DE), who came home third. In a joint interview, the two team-mates discuss the historic race in Austria and their rookie seasons in the DTM so far.

Marco and Timo, before the start of the season, could you ever have dreamed of standing on the podium after just your third race?

Marco Wittmann: “I obviously hoped to be competitive from the word go. Then the pace was already there in the first two races. Holding the runner-up trophy in my hands and spraying the champagne was a very special moment. It shows we have been working well as a team over the past weeks and months.”

Timo Glock: “Exactly. You must not forget the new BMW Team MTEK outfit only had a very short time to prepare for the season. We knew we had a lot to learn in the DTM. The races in Hockenheim and Brands Hatch were evidence of that. But then everything came together perfectly in Spielberg – and we showed what we are capable of as a team.”

It has been a while for both of you since you last stepped onto the podium...

Glock: “Yes, my last visit to the podium was after the Formula One Grand Prix in Singapore in 2009. I had almost forgotten how good it feels to be up there. The team’s celebrations, the fans, the emotions: moments like these are why you take up motorsport. I enjoyed it and would quite happily have driven home in my champagne-soaked racing overall.”

Timo Glock, BMW Team MTEK BMW M3 DTM

Photo by: XPB Images

It is barely noticeable that you two are both DTM rookies. Why do you think that is?

Wittmann: “BMW prepared me systematically for my first season, so I don’t really feel like a rookie. However, when we arrive at a circuit, at which I have never driven a DTM car, then I am pretty much starting from scratch. Thankfully we have managed to come to terms with the circuits very quickly so far.”

Glock: “The podium is fantastic, but I still have an awful lot to learn about the DTM, and have a lot of room for improvement. During the preparations I certainly had a few moments when things did not go so well, and I had to rein in my expectations. However, I am feeling more and more comfortable with every race. The result at the weekend shows the performance is there when everything comes together. That is a good feeling, and gives you a lot of confidence.”

And you showed the critics that former Formula One drivers can make it onto the podium...

Glock: “To be honest, I never saw that as a big issue. The DTM is a challenge for any driver, regardless of where he has driven before. Maybe this result will help banish this topic for a while. There are bound to be set-backs, but we are definitely heading in the right direction.”

How do you get on as team-mates?

Wittmann: “Many years ago, Timo was on the jury when I was racing in the Deutsche Post Speed Academy. Now we are standing side-by-side on the podium. That is a great story, and perhaps one of a kind in motor racing. We take no prisoners out on the track, but the atmosphere in the team is excellent and we are all pulling together.”

Glock: “Even back then it was clear to me that Marco is extremely quick. He has huge potential. I have a few more years of motor racing under my belt, but he knows the DTM a bit better. It is a wonderful combination.”

BMW Group