DTM

DTM LAUSITZRING REVIEW: Kelvin van der Linde enjoys a good weekend to take the championship lead

Kelvin van der Linde took pole and the win in Race 1 along with a second place position in Race 2 to take the championship lead while reigning champion Thomas Preining got his first win of the season

Published

1 year ago

May 29, 2024

Anuj Tripathi

DTM LAUSITZRING REVIEW: Kelvin van der Linde enjoys a good weekend to take the championship lead

Kelvin van der Linde and Thomas Preining take top honours in Lausitzring

The DEKRA Laustzring played host to DTM for round 2 of the championship. Luca Engstler was the championship leader after Round 1, the Lamborghini driver won the season opener in Oschersleben in the Huracán GT3 Evo2. But as DTM leaves Lausitzring, there’s a new championship leader. Here’s how the weekend unfolded

FRIDAY PRACTICE

Porsche started the weekend impressively, with the 911s from the Manthey EMA team dominating free practice on Friday in both dry and wet conditions. Thomas Preining set the pace in the midday session, clocking the fastest time of the day at 1:20.782 minutes, the only driver to dip below the 1:21.000 mark. This marked a significant improvement for the defending champion following a less-than-stellar start to the season in Oschersleben.

“The free practice is not very informative. But after Oschersleben it was important for our team to be among the fastest again. The car ran like it was on rails and it is great to drive such a vehicle on such a technically demanding track with these hard bumps,” explained Preining.

In slightly cooler conditions around 23 degrees Celsius, Maro Engel secured the second fastest time with 1:21.061 minutes in the Mercedes-AMG GT3, followed by Kelvin van der Linde from Abt Sportsline in third place with Audi. Mirko Bortolotti in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 claimed fourth, while Ayhancan Güven piloted the second Porsche 911 GT3 R from Manthey EMA to fifth place.

The afternoon’s second free practice session saw heavy rain in parts of Lausitz, allowing drivers to test Pirelli’s newly developed Cinturato WHB rain tires. Güven seized the opportunity, setting the fastest time at 1:35.573 minutes in wet conditions. Van der Linde followed closely in second place with Jack Aitken finishing third in the Ferrari 296 GT3.

SATURDAY

Saturday started with qualifying for Race 1 and it was Kelvin van der Linde who took pole position for ABT Sportsline. Arjun Maini qualified an impressive 5th, and was also the highest placed Mercedes driver in qualifying.

DTM | Qualifying 1 Results

Kelvin van der Linde takes Pole! Reigning champion Thomas Preining is P2 while Ricardo Feller is P3.

🇮🇳 @ArjunMaini qualifies on P5, also the highest-placed Mercedes in the grid.

Watch the Race 1 live on @FanCode at 8:30 PM IST#DTM pic.twitter.com/NvOTCGETEl
— Desi Racing Co. (@DesiRacingco) May 25, 2024

RACE 1

Despite torrential rain and two race interruptions, Kelvin van der Linde of Abt Sportsline emerged victorious at the Dekra Lausitzring on Saturday.

Maro Engel of Mercedes-AMG Team Winward cleverly secured second place, leveraging strategic tactics in the adverse weather. Thomas Preining from the Manthey EMA team clinched third in the Porsche 911 GT3 R.

The race saw van der Linde defend his pole position successfully at the start, with Ricardo Feller overtaking Preining to claim second. However, heavy rain led to significant water accumulation on the track, prompting a switch to rain tires and two race interruptions. Engel capitalized on this, rising from 13th to second place after the restart.

“What a chaotic race. The key to success was that I was able to defend the lead in the hectic opening phase. Because at the front I had much better visibility. Nevertheless, it was racing at the limit because there was an extremely large amount of water on the track at the beginning,” explained van der Linde

Mandatory pit stops further shuffled the standings, with Preining advancing to third and Lucas Auer from Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter finishing fourth amidst the challenging conditions. Feller rounded out the top five finishers.

Sheldon van der Linde of Schubert Motorsport was the top BMW driver in sixth place, followed by Arjun Maini of Mercedes-AMG Team HRT and Lamborghini driver Nicki Thiim from SSR Performance in seventh and eighth, respectively. Christian Engelhart of Lamborghini Team TGI by GRT secured ninth place, with Luca Stolz driving the Mercedes-AMG GT3 from HRT to complete the top ten.

DTM | Kelvin van der Linde wins Race 1 at Lausitzring!

The South African drove brilliantly in tricky conditions to convert his pole into a race win.
Maro Enger and Thomas Priening round up the podium places.

🇮🇳 Arjun Maini finishes the race in P7. #DTM pic.twitter.com/dzut8gGjvq
— Desi Racing Co. (@DesiRacingco) May 25, 2024

SUNDAY

Qualifying for Race 2 kicked things off on Sunday and it was the reigning champion Thomas Preining who took pole position ahead of Ricardo Feller and Marko Bortolotti.

DTM | Qualifying 2 comes to an end 🏁

Thomas Preining takes pole ahead of Ricardo Feller and Marko Bortolotti.
🇮🇳 Arjun Maini qualifies in 14th

Watch the race live on @FanCode at 5 PM IST#DTM pic.twitter.com/rSnhzDr9y1
— Desi Racing Co. (@DesiRacingco) May 26, 2024

RACE 2

In the fourth DTM race of the season on Sunday afternoon, pole-sitter Thomas Preining initially held the lead, followed by Ricardo Feller and Kelvin van der Linde, who managed to overtake Mirko Bortolotti in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2. By the fourth lap, Feller’s pace in the Audi enabled him to overtake Preining and take the lead. After a safety car phase and the subsequent restart, Feller extended his lead to nearly a second.

During the mandatory pit stops, Preining was the first to switch to new Pirelli tires, which he quickly brought to optimal temperature. This allowed him to overtake Feller and Kelvin van der Linde, who were on colder tires due to later stops. Feller managed to pass van der Linde but made contact, prompting race officials to order a position swap. Regardless, Preining controlled the race and finished first after 42 laps, followed by van der Linde in second and Feller in third. Bortolotti secured fourth place, with his Lamborghini teammate Luca Engstler in fifth.

René Rast from Schubert Motorsport finished sixth, making him the best BMW driver of the race. Maro Engel of Mercedes-AMG Team Winward executed a brilliant strategy, climbing from 20th on the grid to seventh place with a late pit stop. Rast’s BMW teammates, Sheldon van der Linde and Marco Wittmann, finished eighth and ninth, respectively. Lucas Auer rounded out the top ten in his Mercedes-AMG GT3.

“That was one of the best DTM races I have ever experienced as a driver. Our strategy with an early pit stop was crucial for the win. After the tire change, I couldn’t take the lead straight away, but I was able to get myself into a good position. I attacked straight away and took a bit of a risk. That’s racing in the DTM,” said Preining

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Kelvin van der Linde leads the championship standings with 63 points. Thomas Preining is in second with 55 points.

“Leaving the Lausitzring as leader of the table feels great. It is a great achievement by our team to make such a turnaround in such a short time after the weak start in Oschersleben. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake directly after the pit stop on cold tires, which Thomas Preining immediately took advantage of.” – Kelvin van der Linde

Up Next

DTM heads to Zandvoort for Round 3 of the championship from 7-9 June.

DTM

DTM Lausitzring: Jordan Pepper Leads Heading into Lausitz

As DTM heads to Lausitzring, Jordan Pepper leads while Auer and Guven come with confidence after taking wins in the last round.

Published

1 week ago

May 22, 2025

Anuj Tripathi

DTM Lausitzring: Jordan Pepper Leads Heading into Lausitz

Image Credits: Gruppe C Photography

DTM is all set to make a stop at the DEKRA Lausitzring this weekend for Round 2 of the championship. The South African Jordan Pepper is leading the championship, but race winners Lucas Auer and Ayhancan Guven come into this weekend with lots of confidence. Let’s see who comes out on top at Lausitzring.

Jordan Pepper Looking for his First Win of the Season

Jordan might be leading the championship, but the Lamborghini driver did not win any races last time out. Thanks to his consistent qualifying and race results, the South African has managed to get the most points of anyone and take the championship lead. For Jordan, the goal this weekend would be to repeat that form and continue to get consistent points on the board, although he would not be completely opposed to getting some wins while he is at it.

Auer and Guven Carrying Momentum from Last Round

For Lucas Auer, Race 1 last time around was perfect as he started from Pole and was in control throughout to take the win when the chequered flag dropped. Guven too, impressed everyone by executing the perfect strategy to become the first ever winner, a Turkish driver to win in DTM. Both these drivers are on 34 points, just 3 behind the championship leader Jordan Pepper.

“I won my first DTM race at the Lausitzring in 2016; that was something of a breakthrough. The track is technically demanding, but also really cool to drive,” said Auer.

Arjun Maini and HRT are familiarising themselves with the Mustang

Both Arjun and HRT have been long-time associated with Mercedes, so shifting to Ford this year was a bold move. The new kid on the block is still getting to grips with the German team. Last weekend, Arjun was the quickest Ford of the two and also helped the American manufacturer score a point on debut. This weekend, the team and the Indian driver would be looking to build on the experience they have gained and hopefully move up in the grid. With the BoP balancing out the manufacturers in DTM, one can expect them to challenge for the top 10, if not for podiums and wins.

Schedule and Where to Watch DTM in India

You can watch all the sessions of DTM live on Fancode with a weekend pass for just this weekend or a full season pass for the full DTM season. The complete schedule in IST is given below.

Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.

DTM

Auer and Güven Shine as DTM Kicks Off in Oschersleben

Published

1 month ago

April 28, 2025

Anuj Tripathi

Auer and Güven Shine as DTM Kicks Off in Oschersleben

Credits: Gruppe C Photography

The 2025 season of DTM kicked off in Oschersleben, and it was Lucas Auer in his Mercedes AMG GT3 who took the first win of the new season on Saturday. Sunday saw a flawless strategic drive from Ayhancan Güven, giving him and Turkey their first DTM win.

SATURDAY: Lucas Auer Takes His 10th Career Win in DTM

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in Oschersleben, and Lucas Auer made a perfect start to his season, starting from Pole, taking the fastest lap and winning the first race of the 2025 DTM season.

Auer made the perfect getaway in his Mercedes AMG GT3 in the race to keep his lead going into turn 1 and soon opened up a 4-second lead from Jordan Pepper in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo, who was running in second. Jules Guonon in the Mercedes AMG GT3 was third after overtaking the Porsche works driver Thomas Preining, and Maro Engel slotted in fifth.

On lap 18, Auer, Pepper and Preining all decided to enter the pits for their mandatory stops. While Auer was stationary for longer, it wasn’t long enough for Pepper to jump him in the pits. After the round of pit stops, Auer was again in front and had managed to open up a decent gap between him and Pepper.

The Mercedes driver kept his lead for the rest of the race and took the chequered flag to celebrate his 10th DTM victory. Pepper followed in second, meanwhile, Maro Engel had displayed tactical prowess to overtake Preining for third position, with the Porsche driver coming in on 4th. Jules Guonon finished fifth, making it 3 Mercedes cars in the top 5.

“A top start to the new season! The start of the race was superb. However, I later lost all the lead I had established when having to lap other cars. As such, I am delighted that the guys in the pit lane produced a really strong performance during the tyre change,” said Auer.

SUNDAY: Güven Executes Strategy to Perfection to Take Maiden DTM Win

Ayhancan Güven became the first driver from Turkey to win a race in DTM. The Team Manthey EMA driver in his Porsche 911 GT3 R displayed strong tactical and driving performance to take the win, having started 4th in Race 2 at Oschersleben.

Mercedes driver Jules Gounon was starting in pole for the second race at Oschersleben with Jordan Pepper accompanying him on the front row. Guonon got a good launch to stay ahead of Pepper into Turn 1, meanwhile Guven overtook Ferrari driver Thierry Vermeulen to take third position behind the front runners.

During the first round of pit stops, Guven chose to go long when everyone else was making their stops. This helped him jump both Guonon and Pepper to take the lead in the race after making his first stop. A new race format meant drivers had to make 2 stops in the race on Sunday. Guven kept his lead of the race through the second round of stops as well and took the chequered flag, making him the first driver from Turkey to win a race in DTM. Jules Guonon finished second as Thomas Preining made 4 positions to finish in 3rd, having started in 7th.

“This moment has been my ultimate goal since my first DTM race. Last year was rather disappointing for me, so it feels all the better to start the new season with a win. My father was right next to the podium and was my first to congratulate me. As my mentor, he played a major role in this success,” said a delighted Turk.

A weekend of learning for Arjun Maini and HRT

Arjun Maini entered his fifth season in DTM, this time in a Ford machinery. After spending 4 years with Mercedes, Arjun made a switch to Ford, becoming their Factory Driver earlier this year. It was a switch for the team as well, as HRT, who had been associated with Mercedes for many years, rebranded themselves to HRT Ford Performance from this year onwards.

As a result of the change, it was obvious that this weekend would be a weekend of learning. Both Arjun and the team are getting used to the Ford Mustang GT3 and are learning more and more with every passing weekend. Maini was comfortably the faster Ford throughout the weekend, with the Indian driver even scoring a points finish in Race 1, debuting for Ford. As Maini and HRT get more and more comfortable with the car with every passing weekend, we are sure that the Indian driver will soon be fighting for top spots in the championship

#36 Arjun Maini (IND / Ford Mustang GT3 / HRT Ford Performance), during DTM Oschersleben 2025 - Photo: Gruppe C Photography — #36 Arjun Maini (IND / Ford Mustang GT3 / HRT Ford Performance), Oschersleben 2025 – Photo: Gruppe C Photography

Championship Standings and Up Next

South African Jordan Pepper leaves Oschersleben as the championship leader, thanks to his strong and consistent performance during the weekend.

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Meanwhile, in the Manufacturers’ Championship, it’s Mercedes on 68 points, 4 points ahead of Porsche in 64.

DTM heads to Lausitzring next from 23-25 May and you can watch all the action live only on Fancode in India.

DTM

DTM All Set for an Intense 2025 Season Opener at Oschersleben

New Cars, new team and a new race format. DTM is all set for it’s season opener at Oschersleben.

Published

1 month ago

April 22, 2025

Anuj Tripathi

Photo: Gruppe C Photography

The 2025 season of Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (also known as DTM) is all set to kick off this weekend in Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. A total of 24 drivers will take to the track in 12 different teams comprising 9 different manufacturers, including newcomers Aston Martin and Ford.

Ford Returns to DTM With HRT and Arjun Maini

Ford is returning to the DTM after an absence of 30 years. The American manufacturer has partnered up with the Haupt Racing Team and will run under the banner of HRT Ford Performance. HRT Ford Performance will field two cars, the #36 Mustang in Ravenol livery driven by Arjun Maini and the #64 Mustang in Ford Heritage livery driven by Fabio Scherer.

Arjun Maini during the DTM pre season testing at Oschersleben 2025 - Foto: Gruppe C Photography — Arjun Maini during the DTM Pre Season Testing at Oschersleben 2025 – Photo: Gruppe C Photography

Arjun joined DTM in 2021 with GetSpeed, behind the wheels of the Mercedes AMG GT3. Since then, he has been driving for the German Manufacturer in various championships, including DTM and GT World Challenge Europe. In 2025, he left the Stuttgart-based manufacturer and moved to the Ford stables, becoming a factory driver for the American team. The Indian driver has 4 podiums and 1 pole position in DTM till now, he will be looking to get his first win this year.

Aston Martin Back With Newcomers Comtoyou Racing

This year, DTM also welcomes a new team from Belgium, Comtoyou Racing. The Belgian team has chosen Aston Martin GT3 machinery for their debut season in the German Championship. The team from Gembloux to the south of Brussels has put its faith in two Belgian drivers, Nicolas Baert and Gilles Magnus, for its first season in DTM. Magnus arrives in the DTM with multiple titles to his name. Last season, the 25-year-old won the endurance races in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and also impressed in the GT World Challenge Europe. Meanwhile, Baert has been a Comtoyou Racing driver for the past 5 years.

DTM All Set for an Intense 2025 Season Opener at Oschersleben — The 008 Aston Martin GT3 of Comtoyou Racing during the DTM Pre Season Testing at Oschersleben 2025 – Photo: Gruppe C Photography

Bortolotti Looking Forward to his Big Title Defence

Mirko Bortolotti will enter his fourth DTM season as the reigning champion. The Lamborghini works driver from Vienna has fond memories of Oschersleben from last year, claiming one of his eight pole positions in DTM here. Bortoloti is hungry for the first win at this circuit and can’t wait for the season to begin.

“I am pleased that we can finally go racing again, and am full of energy. Defending my title will be a big challenge, but we have all the ingredients to be successful together,” says Bortolotti.

Mirko Bortolotti will be keeping a close eye on the Schubert Motorsport duo, as the reigning Teams’ Champions aim to go one step further this year by securing both the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles. The Oschersleben-based outfit will kick off their campaign on home turf, fielding the brand-new BMW M4 GT3 Evo driven by René Rast and two-time champion C.

Meanwhile, Jack Aitken, last year’s winner at Oschersleben, returns in the Ferrari 296 GT3 for Emil Frey Racing. He’ll be joined in the title fight by Porsche works driver Thomas Preining (Manthey EMA) and Maro Engel (Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing), both looking to make a strong early statement in what promises to be a highly competitive season opener at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.

New Race Format for 2025

This weekend, there is one more thing you should look forward to, as DTM will bring a new race format for 2025. Starting this weekend, the teams will need to make 2 mandatory stops during the Sunday Race, while the Saturday race remains a one-stopper. All the races this year are 55 minutes plus one lap. Should there be a safety car intervention during the race, there is now a provision which allows the race to be extended by 2 racing laps to compensate for the loss of racing action during the safety car.

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The DTM has also introduced a Rookie of the Year trophy for this season, which will be awarded to the highest placed rookie in the championship. The eligibility criteria for this are for a driver to be in their first or second season of DTM.