The DTM weekend at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben offered exciting races, technical adjustments, and a historic success for Lamborghini.
Thomas Preining kicked things off. The Manthey Porsche pilot secured pole position for the Saturday race with a lap time of 1:21.862 minutes. Luca Engstler placed his ABT Sportsline Lamborghini in second on the grid, while Maro Engel in the WINWARD Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 will start the race in third.
Before the first timed lap, the officials adjusted the Balance of Performance (BoP). Aston Martin received a reduced minimum weight of five kilograms and a slightly increased maximum boost pressure. The BMW M4 GT3 also gained additional engine power through an increase in permitted boost pressure. The classification of the remaining vehicles remained unchanged.
In the first race, Thomas Preining impressively continued his strong form. The Austrian converted his pole position into a dominant lights-to-flag victory, celebrating his second win of the season. Luca Engstler finished in second place with his Lamborghini, while Maro Engel crossed the finish line in third, once again taking the lead in the overall DTM standings.
The race was marked by several incidents. In the early stages, Jules Gounon and Ben Dörr collided, damaging both their vehicles and forcing them to retire prematurely. Shortly thereafter, Marco Wittmann also had to park his BMW after a tire failure. During the mandatory pit stop, there was also a collision between Bastian Buus and Marco Mapelli, which damaged the Italian's Lamborghini so severely that his race was over.
Before the second race day, the Balance of Performance was adjusted again. Aston Martin and BMW received further performance concessions through higher boost pressure. Ferrari also benefited from an increase in permissible boost pressure, while the Ford Mustang GT3 received additional engine power through larger air restrictors.
Sunday's qualifying session was also dominated by Thomas Preining. The Porsche driver once again secured pole position with a fastest time of 1:22.400 minutes. Luca Engstler qualified in second place, with Marco Wittmann completing the top three starting positions.
In Sunday's race, Mirko Bortolotti ultimately achieved a historic success. The 2024 DTM champion secured the first DTM victory for the new Lamborghini Temerario GT3. Thanks to an optimal pit stop strategy, the Italian worked his way from sixth on the grid to the front and did not let the maiden triumph slip away.
Maro Engel finished in second place, thus maintaining his championship lead. Thomas Preining seemed to be on his way to another victory for a long time but lost the lead due to an error during the second mandatory pit stop. In the end, the Austrian managed to secure third place and successfully defended it against Marco Wittmann in the final laps. Light rain caused some additional excitement intermittently, but it did not have a decisive impact on the race's outcome.