India's Arjun Maini endures difficult DTM debut

Arjun Maini, who became the first Indian to race in DTM over the weekend, faced a stern challenge from the championship's more experienced campaigners.

The high point of Arjun Maini's weekend came in race two when he was locked in a battle with Vincent Abril before a mechanical failure ruined his chances (File Photo).

Mercedes-AMG driver Arjun Maini finished 14th in race one before a mechanical issue forced him to retire in race two on his debut at the DTM Championship in Monza, Italy.

Maini, who became the first Indian to race in DTM over the weekend, faced a stern challenge from the championship's more experienced campaigners.

Racing for the GetSpeed team, Maini made steady progress over the course of the weekend with the Indian feeling more comfortable in his Mercedes AMG GT3 car as the sessions progressed.

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The high point of Maini's weekend came in race two when he was locked in a battle with Mercedes stablemate Vincent Abril (who finished second in race one) before a mechanical failure ended his weekend at the motorsport competition prematurely.

"Today (Sunday), we were fighting for points before we had to retire with an ABS issue. We had a good start and we were three cars side by side between Turn 1 and 2 . I held on to my position but a small contact at that point caused the final failure later on in the race.

"We had good pace in the second race and there was definitely significant progress made over the course of the weekend. Becoming the first Indian to race in the DTM for me personally was a very special moment," Maini said.

The second round of the DTM Championship will take place at the Lausitzring in Germany from July 23-24.