DTM | 2026 Red Bull Ring | Race 2 | Engel wins as van der Linde fades and late battles shake up the order

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It was time to close out the opening race weekend at the Red Bull Ring with Race 2 of the 2026 DTM season. A reshuffled grid from qualifying 2 set the stage, as Kelvin van der Linde claimed pole position with a strong lap, marking his first pole since 2024 and putting himself firmly in contention for victory.

Behind him, Finn Wiebelhaus impressed and secured second on the grid for Ford, while Lucas Auer continued his strong form by taking third. Balance of Performance changes reshaped the order and tightened the margins across the field, setting up another unpredictable race.

Further down the grid, Lamborghini were once again hosting their own private qualifying session, with Abt and Grasser Racing Team battling it out at the back. The only question worth asking: which Lambo would take the chequered flag in their own personal Race 2?

The real question, though, was whether van der Linde could chase away yesterday’s demons and finally take the win.

Lights out for Race 2

It was time to close out the opening weekend of the 2026 DTM season at the Red Bull Ring, and Kelvin van der Linde led the field away from pole as the lights went out for Race 2.

The South African made a clean getaway and held the lead into the first sector, but the battle behind him immediately exploded into life. Finn Wiebelhaus held second early on, while Lucas Auer launched well from third and quickly challenged the Ford driver. Maro Engel then joined the fight, turning the opening lap into a three-way scrap between Wiebelhaus, Auer and Engel.

The trio ran side by side through the opening corners, with light contact between Auer and Wiebelhaus as neither driver backed down. Engel forced his way into the middle of the battle and squeezed through, while Auer continued to fight Wiebelhaus all the way through the lap. By the end of the opening tour, Auer had worked his way back into third, but van der Linde had already used the chaos behind to build an early gap.

Nicki Thiim also made a strong start, climbing into fifth and watching the action unfold ahead of him.

Early midfield fights take shape

Behind the leaders, Mirko Bortolotti began his recovery effort in the lower midfield, closely following Ricardo Feller in the fight for 14th by Lap 3.

Thiim soon found himself defending fifth from Jules Gounon, while Thomas Preining ran tenth with Arjun Maini close behind. Race control also ordered a position swap between Marco Wittmann and Gounon after Wittmann forced another driver wide.

Further back, Thierry Vermeulen battled Feller for 12th, while Timo Glock ran 15th ahead of Nicolas Baert. Matteo Cairoli followed in 17th, with Tom Kalender tucked in behind him.

Baert briefly went off track but managed to recover, while Kalender began to move into the lower midfield battles. By Lap 5, Kalender had challenged Bortolotti for 16th, while Feller defended 14th from Cairoli. Engstler then joined the Lamborghini fight, battling Bortolotti through Sector 3 on Lap 6.

Maximilian Paul also lost time in Sector 1 on Lap 7, dropping almost a second compared to race pace.

First pit window opens

The first pit window opened with strategy already playing a major role. With two mandatory pit windows in the race, teams had to manage the new DTM-specific Pirelli tyres carefully. The first window lasted 15 minutes, while the second would only remain open for six minutes later in the race.

Buus and Maini became the first drivers to pit on Lap 7. Preining, Glock, Kalender and Engstler followed shortly after, triggering the first major reshuffle.

On track, Ben Dörr overtook Buus to move into eighth, while Vermeulen passed Maini for ninth. One lap later, Feller overtook Buus for tenth, Cairoli passed Buus for 11th, and Bortolotti made progress by overtaking both Buus and Maini to take 12th. Marco Mapelli also moved past Buus and Maini, climbing to 13th as a battle developed between Mapelli and Baert.

The cold tyres created another challenge for drivers leaving the pits. Without tyre warmers, cars exiting the pit lane had to survive a difficult out-lap while drivers already at speed closed rapidly.

Engel takes the race to van der Linde

The leading group eventually began to pit, with Engel, Auer and Wiebelhaus all stopping together. Van der Linde stayed out, leaving Schubert Motorsport with a crucial decision on when to bring in the race leader.

Engel’s stop put him into position to attack once van der Linde completed his own service. Both drivers spent 6.9 seconds stationary, but Engel had already brought his tyres closer to temperature. When van der Linde rejoined, Engel immediately closed in.

The Mercedes driver attacked around the outside, while van der Linde tried to defend with cold tyres. The BMW could not hold on, and Engel swept into the lead. Mercedes celebrated in the garage as Engel took control of the race.

Behind them, Wittmann gained significantly through the pit cycle and moved into third, while Auer ran fourth and Gounon fifth. Thiim held sixth, with Buus seventh. Wiebelhaus lost out during the phase, dropping from the front group to eighth after a slower stop.

Gounon and Thiim deliver a brilliant fight

By Lap 17, Cairoli battled Preining for 12th, while one of the best fights of the race unfolded ahead between Gounon and Thiim.

Thiim carried more momentum up the hill into Turn 3 and challenged the Mercedes driver under braking. Gounon defended the inside line, forcing Thiim to run around the outside. The pair stayed side by side into Turn 4, with both cars sliding as neither driver gave way.

Gounon held on initially, but Thiim kept the pressure on through the next sequence of corners. The Aston Martin stayed glued to the Mercedes before finally completing the move in a brilliant fight for fifth place.

Shortly afterwards, Thiim set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:28.497 on Lap 20.

Second pit window approaches

With just over 20 minutes remaining, the second pit window approached. Cairoli fought Vermeulen for 11th through Sector 1 on Lap 22, while Kalender battled Feller for 14th through Sector 2.

Kalender then reported possible rubbing between the tyre and bodywork, and his car began to smoke. Glock, running behind him, also noticed the issue as the smoke became more visible.

Meanwhile, the battle between Wittmann and van der Linde continued near the front, and Bortolotti defended 17th from Engstler in the Lamborghini group on Lap 23.

By Lap 24, van der Linde ran third and battled Auer, while Auer defended from Thiim in Sector 3.

Second stops reshape the order again

The second pit window opened, and Wiebelhaus became one of the first drivers to stop from seventh. Dörr, Preining and Kalender also came in, with Kalender’s smoking car drawing concern as the crew completed the stop.

Manthey delivered a strong stop for Preining, while Kalender rejoined with smoke still coming from the front of his car. Mapelli and Paul also completed their stops for Lamborghini, continuing what had become their own race within the race.

Engel and van der Linde then came in together. Engel’s stop lasted 7.4 seconds, while van der Linde’s crew produced a quicker 6.6-second stop. The gap tightened, but Engel retained the effective lead.

The remaining front-runners stopped soon after. Gounon’s crew delivered an excellent 6.6-second stop, allowing him to jump Thiim. Wittmann also emerged ahead of Auer in what became the fight for second.

Kalender received a penalty lap for unsafe release and driving side by side in the pit lane. His race later unravelled completely, as he returned to the pits on Lap 31 and the team wheeled his smoking car into the garage.

Van der Linde loses out again

The second pit phase hurt van der Linde once more. After starting from pole and leading early, he lost the lead during the first pit cycle and then dropped off the podium during the second.

Engel led, Wittmann moved into second, Auer ran third, and van der Linde fell to fourth. Gounon then hunted him down, with Thiim also closing behind.

Bortolotti continued to lead the Lamborghini group further back, while Baert joined that lower-order fight after his earlier off-track moment.

Gounon attacks as Thiim closes in

In the closing stages, Gounon attacked van der Linde repeatedly for fourth. The Mercedes driver had to balance attack and defence, because Thiim arrived quickly behind him and threatened to take advantage if Gounon opened the door.

With less than five minutes plus one lap remaining, Engel had built a lead of over four seconds and controlled the race comfortably. Behind him, Wittmann and Auer ran almost identical lap times in the fight for second, while Gounon continued to pressure van der Linde.

Finally, Gounon made the move stick, diving past van der Linde to take fourth. Thiim immediately followed the fight and soon attacked the BMW as well, passing van der Linde into Turn 3 with a late move.

Van der Linde’s tyres appeared to fade badly in the final stint, and his race slipped away.

Vermeulen and Buus fight as the clock runs down

Further back, Vermeulen continued to show strong pace late in the race. He closed on Buus for ninth and launched a clean move into Turn 4, putting the Ferrari into ninth place.

At the same time, the Manthey cars ran side by side as Feller tried to attack Preining. The battles continued even as Engel crossed the line to start the final lap.

Lamborghini’s private cup continues

Lamborghini once again struggled to join the main fight. The Temerario GT3s remained at the back, effectively running their own private race between Abt and Grasser Racing Team.

In that now-familiar “Lamborghini Cup”, Bortolotti came out on top, followed by Engstler and Mapelli, while Paul completed the order.

It remained a tough weekend for the new car, but the internal battles at least gave the Lamborghini drivers something to fight for while the marque continued to search for pace.

Engel completes the comeback

Engel crossed the line to take victory in Race 2 of the 2026 DTM Red Bull Ring round, completing a superb recovery after losing Saturday’s race through a pit stop issue. The Mercedes driver started fifth, used strong pace and strategy to move forward, and controlled the second half of the race once he claimed the lead.

Wittmann finished second after a strong drive from ninth on the grid, while Auer completed the podium in third.

Gounon took fourth after his late move on van der Linde, while Thiim finished fifth after another fighting drive for Aston Martin. Van der Linde, who started from pole, had to settle for sixth after losing out in both pit phases and struggling late in the race.

Dörr finished seventh, with Wiebelhaus eighth after losing ground from the front row. Vermeulen claimed ninth, while Buus completed the top ten.

Engel’s victory marked his first DTM win in two and a half years and made him the first Mercedes driver to win a DTM race in Austria since Marcel Fässler in 2003. After coming so close on Saturday, he finally converted Mercedes’ pace into victory and left the Red Bull Ring as the early championship leader.