Auer Claims First DTM Victory of Season Amid Championship Drama at Hockenheimring
In a riveting start to the final weekend of the 2026 DTM season, Lucas Auer of Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf achieved his first victory by dominating Race 1 at Hockenheimring. The race featured intense battles and crucial developments in the ongoing Drivers’ Championship contest.
Auer qualified second behind Luca Engstler, who achieved a historic pole position for the Red Bull Team Abt Lamborghini Temerario GT3. The lead changed hands early when Auer overtook Engstler at Turn 6 on the second lap, but contact ensued between the two drivers, resulting in Engstler hitting the wall and a Red Flag declaration for recovery.
Following a restart, Auer allowed his Mercedes-AMG teammate, Maro Engel, who started seventh, to take the lead. Engel quickly built a notable three-second gap before a slow pit stop relegated him to third, behind Auer and Mirko Bortolotti of TGI Team by GRT.
In the closing minutes, Engel successfully overtook BMW driver Marco Wittmann for third but was instructed to relinquish the position. The top four remained unchanged as the chequered flag waved, concluding an eventful race.
“That was a tough race with many intense battles,” Auer reflected post-race. “We have had a huge amount of bad luck recently, so I am unbelievably happy with this – even if the title is, unfortunately, no longer within reach for me. We want to back this up on Sunday and get another win.”
Bortolotti’s second-place finish marked his best result of the season, while Wittmann and Engel closed the gap to championship leader Thomas Preining, who finished fifth after recovering from an early setback in his Manthey-run Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The championship scenario tightens heading into the season finale, with Preining holding a 20-point lead over Wittmann, with Engel just two points behind. Other contenders, including Auer and Emil Frey Racing’s Matteo Cairoli, have been mathematically eliminated.
Kelvin van der Linde rounded out the top six, followed by Jules Gounon and Arjun Maini in seventh and eighth, respectively. Marco Mapelli and Finn Wiebelhaus completed the top ten.
Race 1 Results:
- Lucas Auer (Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf)
- Mirko Bortolotti (TGI Team by GRT)
- Maro Engel (Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol)
- Marco Wittmann (Schubert Motorsport)
- Thomas Preining (Manthey Racing)
The decisive final race of the 2026 DTM season is set for tomorrow at Hockenheimring.
