Thierry reflects on DTM debut in Oschersleben: 'Extremely cool'

Published on 01 June 2023 by Niels Hendrix

Thierry Vermeulen made his DTM debut in Oschersleben, in Germany, last weekend. The Verstappen.com Racing driver, who races a Ferrari 296 GT3 run by Emil Frey Racing scored his first point in the championship.

The 20-year-old Dutchman says: “My first weekend in DTM is done and regardless of how the weekend went, it was extremely cool to make my DTM debut. It was always going be a special moment that I was going to enjoy to the fullest, so big thanks to the team for making that possible and all the people who have supported me along the way, my sponsors, my friends, my family and fans. I am very grateful for all that.”

Looking back, Thierry adds: “The weekend itself had some positives. DTM has a very competitive field, where being in the top eight is extremely tricky. If you look at all the teams and drivers, DTM is the benchmark and in GT racing it is the highest level in the world. That means you have to put it all together and looking back at the weekend, from the free practices we moved forward as a team. My team mate Jack Aitkin was very fast and was a good reference.”

On Saturday, Thierry qualified fourteenth - only four tenth from the pole sitter - for the first race, that he finished on P15, meaning he took one point. Thierry: “The races were a bit more challenging. In qualifying 1 I wasn’t able to put everything together and Jack of course was really quick. But that was a great lesson for me and something I have to work on. Small things can make a huge difference. Race 1, I think, was a bit tricky with the set-up of the car. We went a different way to Jack and we tried something that in the end didn’t really work as we hoped. We had a different tyre strategy so I had to learn to manage the tyres.”

On Sunday, Thierry qualified nineteenth, six tenth from the pole sitter. He finished the race op P16. Thierry says: “Race 2 went a lot better from a performance side, but there was a Balance Of Performance change going from Saturday to Sunday which was a shame. On Saturday all cars were very competitive and close and on Sunday I felt we lacked pace a bit. Porsche was very dominant on Sunday.”

“So all in all I think the weekend was very cool. There were many people and the organization was superb. So I am even more excited for Zandvoort which is the next race and of course my home race. It’s been a while since DTM was in Holland and I hope I can be competitive.” Thierry concludes: “We are going to do some more testing on the Red Bull Ring in preparation, so the team and Jack of course can be fully ready for Zandvoort. I hope to see you there!”

Order your DTM Zandvoort tickets via Verstappen.com: https://www.verstappen.com/tickets/dtm-zandvoort-2023

A DTM Zandvoort ticket offers:

• Access to the paddock
• Autograph session with the drivers
• Pit walk
• Youth up to 15 years old: free access to general admission area (ticket required) and 50% discount on grandstand tickets.

Buy your DTM tickets for Zandvoort at Verstappen.com and have a chance to win a tour through the pit box of Verstappen.com Racing driver Thierry Vermeulen and an upgrade of your ticket with access to the Red Bull hospitality VIP room!