59′
2:34 p.m
End of 1st race
The first race at the Red Bull Ring is over and the cars are returning to the pit lane. Bastian Buus impressed in fourth place ahead of Tom Calendar, Marco Wittmann and Timo Glock, but he could still face trouble. Arjun Maini and Matteo Cairoli complete the top ten.
59′
2:33 p.m
Thomas Preining wins the first race in Spielberg
Manthey
Thomas Preining was the first driver to see the checkered flag behind the safety car and won the opener in Spielberg. Lucas Auer came second ahead of Maro Engel.
57′
2:31 p.m
Safety car
The safety car comes onto the track and it is actually clear that the victory at the start will go to Thomas Preining.
57′
2:31 p.m
Defect at Kelvin van der Linde
Schubert Motorsport
There’s the next defect! Kelvin van der Linde becomes slow and then finally rolls out on the track. He reports over the radio that the engine has stopped.
56′
14:29
Glock is in trouble
Timo Glock is threatened with further trouble. Because he is said to have not completed his penalty cleanly, he has to report to the stewards after the race.
55′
14:28
Auer is cheered on!
Lucas Auer is now really being cheered on by his team. Can he intercept Thomas Preining before the goal?
54′
14:27
Task by Jules Gounon
Mercedes-AMG Team Mann Filter
Gounon arrived in the pit lane and gave up the race with damage to the right rear. However, Tomas Preining cannot take a deep breath at the top. Lucas Auer is lurking behind him.
52′
2:25 p.m
Defect at Jules Gounon
Mercedes-AMG Team Mann Filter
Bitter end for Jules Gounon! The Frenchman is traveling with suspension damage and is now being handed back mercilessly. For him it’s just a matter of at least reaching the pit lane.
51′
14:23
Lamborghini at the end of the field
After the weak qualifying, Lamborghini didn’t really do anything in the race either. The brand represents the last four places in the race.
49′
2:20 p.m
Hard work for Preining
After it initially looked as if Thomas Preining could extend his lead, the gap to the competition has now stagnated at just under seven tenths of a second. A line of cars is lurking on his neck. Timo Glock fell back to tenth place after his penalty.
46′
2:18 p.m
Overtaking maneuvers by Tom Calendar
Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf
Tom Calendar is doing well in the final phase. The German pushes Mercedes past Marco Wittmann and takes eighth place. Finn Wiebelhaus, on the other hand, faces a penalty after he pushed Feller in the duel.
45′
2:17 p.m
Penalty for Timo Glock
Dörr Motorsport
Bitter punishment for Timo Glock! Since the tires continued to rotate in the air during the pit stop, he has to complete a penalty lap. So the race so far has been decent.
43′
2:14 p.m
Preining gets some breathing room
Thomas Preining was able to get some breathing room again quickly after the restart and put a few meters between himself and Gounon, who had to protect himself against Auer and Engel. Tom Calendar, for his part, tries to take Wittmann by surprise.
40′
2:10 p.m
Restart has taken place!
The race is open again! Thomas Preining retains his top position ahead of Jules Gounin. Lucas Auer remains third ahead of Engel and Buus.
35′
2:09 p.m
Safety car
The safety car comes onto the track for the second time in this race. Nicolas Baert is standing in one of the run-off zones with a defect. Preining will be annoyed because the lead he had gained is now gone.
34′
2:06 p.m
Everyone was at a stop
Nicki Thiim is the last driver to complete his pit stop. The lead in the race lies with Thomas Preining, who has gained a lead of two seconds over Jules Gounon. Lucas Auer currently completes the podium in third place, but has Maro Engel breathing down his neck. Bastian Buus is in a good fifth place ahead of Timo Glock and Kelvin van der Linde.
32′
2:04 p.m
Pit stop by Lucas Auer
Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf
Lucas Auer turns into the pit lane and things don’t go his way either! He loses a few seconds and falls back in line in front of Engel. Now he has to try to keep it behind him until the tires are up to temperature.
31′
2:03 p.m
Except with a late stop
Lucas Auer and Nicki Thiim are the only drivers who have not yet pitted. Everyone else has already completed their mandatory stop. For his part, Engel has to accept a further loss of position. Gounon slipped past.
29′
2:02 p.m
Pit stop by Maro Engel
Mercedes-AMG Team Mann Filter
Trouble with Maro Engel! Everything goes wrong in the pit lane for the previous leader! The car sits for far too long after a tire doesn’t fit cleanly, and Preining slides past without any problems. Jules Gounon also puts a lot of pressure on from behind!
28′
2:01 p.m
Penalty for Mirko Bortolotti
TGI Team by GRT
There are other penalties. Matteo Cairoli and Mirko Bortolotti also have to go through the penalty lap after they were too fast in the pit lane.
26′
13:59
Penalty for Thierry Vermeulen
Emil Frey Racing
Thierry Vermeulen is punished by the race management because he drove next to a competitor in the pit lane. The Dutchman only hit late in the duel. He has to take a penalty lap. In the meantime, Thomas Preining was also at his pit stop.
25′
13:56
More and more at stops
More and more drivers are coming to the pit lane for their mandatory stop. Jules Gounon continues to lead the group of riders who have already stopped. Buus and Glock are also good.
23′
1:55 p.m
Pit stop by Jules Gounon
Mercedes-AMG Team Mann Filter
Jules Gounon comes to his pit stop a lap later and joins the group of drivers who have already stopped. With him were Wittmann and Matteo Cairoli, whose crew made a really quick stop.
21′
13:54
Pit stop by Timo Glock
Dörr Motorsport
The pit stop window is open. The drivers now have 20 minutes to complete their mandatory stop. Timo Glock comes into the pits from the leading group, and Finn Wiebelhaus also heads straight into the pit lane to change tires. Engstler and Feller were also there.
19′
13:49
Angel with a small lead
It only takes a minute or so before the box opens. Engel has now managed to pull away from Preining by just under 1.3 seconds.
15′
13:47
Combat groups everywhere
Shortly before the pit stop phase, smaller and larger fighting groups formed throughout the field. At the top, Maro Engel and Thomas Preining were able to easily break away from Lucas Auer, who leads the second group. Behind them, Kelvin van der Linde, Marco Wittmann and Matteo Cairoli are engaged in an intense battle for eighth place. Things are also getting heated within the teams: Wittmann complains via radio about van der Linde’s hard driving style.
13′
13:44
Duel for twelfth place
In midfield, Nicki Thiim and Thierry Vermeulen have been engaged in a close duel for a few minutes. Thiim tries, once again unsuccessfully, to get past the Dutchman.
11′
13:43
Race is extended
After the interruption at the beginning, the first DTM race of the season will be extended to 55 minutes plus three laps. Meanwhile, Maro Engel has gained a narrow lead at the front.
9′
13:41
Feller fell far behind
After his penalty, Ricardo Feller, unsurprisingly, quickly fell behind in the still dense field. He is only 17 and is in a group with Finn Wiebelhaus and Maximilian Paul.
7′
13:39
Restart has taken place!
The safety car comes into the pits and we restart. This time too, Maro Engel has everything under control and maintains his top positions ahead of local heroes Preining and Auer. Gounon is fourth ahead of Buus.
3′
13:37
Safety car
The safety car arrives on the track and collects the field while the McLaren is recovered.
3′
1:35 p.m
Ben Dörr’s accident
Dörr Motorsport
Early exit from Ben Dörr! Dörr lost his balance on the curbs, then eased off the accelerator slightly and slipped off the track after a small contact with Buus.
2′
13:34
Penalty for Ricardo Feller
Manthey
While Dörr lost another position, Ricardo Feller received an early penalty. Because of a jump start he has to complete a penalty lap.
1′
13:33
Start 1st race
The traffic lights are out, the race has started! Maro Engel enters the first corner as the leader and maintains his lead. Behind him, Thomas Preining moves up to second position and Lucas Auer also passes Ben Dörr. The McLaren driver is only fourth.
1:30 p.m
The introductory round
It’s all set for the first race of the 2026 DTM season! The drivers go on the introductory lap. Now it won’t be long until the start.
13:24
The conditions
The conditions for the start of the season are ideal: the sun is shining in Spielberg and the temperatures are around 20 degrees. For the drivers, the race will also be the first real endurance test for the Pirelli tire compound developed specifically for the DTM, which has so far only been used in cooler conditions.
13:17
The route
The Red Bull Ring has been a fixture on the DTM calendar since 2011. The route is known for its striking differences in altitude, with a maximum gradient of 12 percent and a gradient of 9.3 percent. The 4.326 kilometers are dominated by medium-fast and fast corners, making the course a demanding challenge for the drivers.
13:10
Lamborghini at the end of the field
Lamborghini experienced a difficult start to the season. The Italian brand’s best driver was Grasser driver Mirko Bortolotti in 16th place. Luca Engstler, Marco Mapelli and Maximilian Paul found themselves at the back of the field. At BMW, too, the first qualifying didn’t go according to plan. Kelvin van der Linde was eleventh, while Marco Wittmann had to settle for 15th.
13:04
Maro Engel takes pole
Maro Engel secured pole position in the first race of the year. The Winward driver needed 1:27.403 minutes on his best lap, narrowly beating Ben Dörr in the McLaren. Only 0.015 seconds separated Dörr from his second career pole. Thomas Preining and Lucas Auer make up the second row. Rookie Bastian Buus came fifth. Ricardo Feller came seventh ahead of Timo Glock. Tom Calendar completes the top ten in the fourth Mercedes.
1:00 p.m
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to the first DTM day of the year! After qualifying in the morning, the first race of the new season starts at 1:30 p.m.
