One of the most prestigious GT series in the world — DTM — kicked off at Austria’s Red Bull Ring, where the first two races of the season took place.
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| Photo by ADAC Motorsport |
A total of 21 drivers from all over the world lined up on the starting grid for the new DTM season, where they will battle each other throughout the year. As usual, the best driver will be crowned DTM champion after eight race weekends — 16 races in total.
But who are the drivers we will see this season?
Let’s start with the familiar names — we could even call them the “permanent stars.” One of them is Kelvin van der Linde, the South African driver with extensive GT racing experience, who drives for Schubert Motorsport. Another is Mercedes driver Lucas Auer from Austria, who will be aiming to finally secure his first DTM title. He certainly has what it takes, and we are likely to hear a lot about him this season.
One of the most experienced drivers on the grid is undoubtedly Maro Engel, who also represents Mercedes. Another Mercedes driver, Jules Gounon, debuted in DTM in 2024. Despite being a newcomer to the series, he is a very experienced driver not only in GT racing but also in WEC, where he competes with Alpine’s hypercar. This makes him a very well-rounded driver with a rich motorsport career.
We also can’t forget Ayhancan Güven, the reigning DTM champion, who showed incredible pace last year. On the other side of the Manthey garage is Thomas Preining — also a former DTM champion — who will be right up there fighting at the front. No one can rule him out of the title battle.
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| Photo by ADAC Motorsport |
Mercedes showed strong pace during Friday’s practice sessions, which they confirmed in qualifying for Saturday’s race, where Maro Engel secured pole position. Despite that, the victory slipped through his fingers, and he finished third. The win went to Thomas Preining, while Lucas Auer joined him on the podium in second place.
On Sunday, pole position for the second race of the weekend went to Kelvin van der Linde. Unfortunately, he was unable to maintain his lead and finished sixth. The podium featured familiar names once again, although in a different order — Engel took victory, Marco Wittmann finished second, and Lucas Auer came home third.
The DTM season will continue on May 22–24 at the Dutch circuit of Zandvoort.