DTM | 2026 Zandvoort | Race 2 | Van der Linde masters strategy for breakthrough BMW win

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DTM Race 2 at Zandvoort delivered a far more chaotic and strategic contest than Saturday’s opener, as Kelvin van der Linde converted pole position into a commanding victory for Schubert Motorsport.

The second race of the Zandvoort weekend became a battle of tyre strategy, pit stop execution and late-race overtaking. Van der Linde controlled the opening phase from pole before losing the lead to local favourite Thierry Vermeulen. However, a strong second stop and a tyre advantage brought the BMW driver back into contention, allowing Van der Linde to retake the lead and claim his first DTM win for BMW.

Behind him, Ben Dörr starred in the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo to secure second place and his first official DTM podium, while Marco Wittmann completed a double podium result for Schubert Motorsport. Maro Engel finished fourth and reclaimed the championship lead from Lucas Auer, who endured a difficult afternoon in DTM Race 2 at Zandvoort.

Van der Linde controls the start from pole

Van der Linde lined up on pole after setting a 1:32.831 around the 4.259-kilometre Circuit Zandvoort. With sunny conditions and temperatures reaching 25 degrees, tyre management quickly became one of the defining factors of the race.

At lights out, Van der Linde made a clean getaway and held the lead into the opening corners. Behind him, Luca Engstler moved ahead of Vermeulen, who had started second in front of his home crowd. Dörr settled into fourth, while Thomas Preining and Mirko Bortolotti followed close behind.

The opening laps remained relatively controlled at the front, but further back the field became increasingly unsettled. Bastian Buus suffered an early puncture and had to pit after just three laps, dropping out of contention before later retiring.

As the first mandatory pit stop window opened, the race began to change shape. Several drivers from the leading group stopped early, including Engstler, Auer and Saturday winner Matteo Cairoli. Auer’s stop did not run smoothly, and the Mercedes driver dropped down the order.

Engel also lost significant time during his first stop after a problem in the Winward garage. Despite the delay, he remained in the fight thanks to the race’s evolving strategy.

Van der Linde’s first stop ran cleanly, allowing him to retain the net lead once the first round of stops had played out. Vermeulen and Engstler followed behind, with Dörr and Wittmann beginning to move forward after the race’s only safety car phase.

Safety car sparks chaos in the pack

The safety car was deployed after Jules Gounon lost control of his Mercedes while battling Arjun Maini and hit a trackside marker, leaving debris on the circuit.

At the restart, Vermeulen immediately attacked Engstler and moved back into second place. Further behind, Auer’s difficult race worsened when he was hit by Nicki Thiim and spun to the back of the field. Thiim received multiple penalty laps for the incident, while Auer was left to recover from near the rear.

There was more drama soon after, as Maximilian Paul and Finn Wiebelhaus came together, forcing both drivers out of the race.

At the front, Van der Linde’s tyres began to fade. Vermeulen closed in and seized his opportunity on lap 20 when the BMW driver made a mistake in the final sector. The Emil Frey Racing Ferrari moved into the lead, giving the Dutch fans something to celebrate during DTM Race 2 at Zandvoort.

However, the lead change did not decide the race. Van der Linde had a tyre advantage for the final stint after saving a fresher set earlier in the weekend, and Schubert Motorsport reacted quickly by bringing him in as soon as the second pit window opened.

Strategy brings Van der Linde back to the lead

Van der Linde’s second stop proved decisive. Schubert executed a clean service, and the BMW returned to the track with tyres already coming into their operating window.

Vermeulen stopped one lap later, but his race began to unravel in the pit lane. Emil Frey Racing released the Ferrari before the front-left wheel had been fully secured, costing him crucial time. Although he initially rejoined ahead of Van der Linde, his cold tyres left him vulnerable.

Van der Linde quickly attacked and reclaimed the lead. Once back in front, he pulled clear and controlled the closing phase to take victory after 35 laps by more than six seconds.

Vermeulen’s podium hopes faded in the final stint. As his pace dropped, Dörr and Wittmann charged through on their alternative strategy after delaying their second stops until lap 26.

Dörr produced one of the standout drives of the race. Despite losing ground during the pit cycles, he recovered with a series of overtakes and climbed to second place. It marked his first official DTM podium and the first podium finish for Dörr Motorsport.

Wittmann followed him through to third, securing a double podium for Schubert Motorsport and strengthening his own championship position.

Engel reclaims the championship lead

Engel also used a late-stop strategy to recover from his earlier pit delay. The Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol driver made up eight positions and crossed the line in fourth, a result that moved him back to the top of the DTM standings.

Vermeulen eventually finished fifth after losing out in the closing laps, while Engstler took sixth in the Lamborghini Temerario GT3. Marco Mapelli followed in seventh, giving Red Bull Team Abt two cars inside the top seven.

Preining finished eighth as the best Porsche driver for Manthey, ahead of Bortolotti in ninth for TGI Team by GRT. Ricardo Feller completed the top ten in the second Manthey Porsche 911.

Auer salvaged 13th after his spin and pit stop issues, but the result cost him the championship lead. Engel left Zandvoort with 67 points, six ahead of Auer on 61. Wittmann moved up to third with 52 points, followed by Preining on 46 and Cairoli on 43.

Timo Glock, meanwhile, claimed the fastest lap of the race for Dörr Motorsport with a 1:34.493 in the McLaren.

Van der Linde takes maximum points

For Van der Linde, the result completed a perfect Sunday. He started from pole, took victory and collected the maximum available haul from Race 4 of the season.

It was his ninth DTM victory and Schubert Motorsport’s 12th win in the championship. It also marked an important response after a difficult Saturday, when his qualifying had ended early due to an oil-loss issue.

The South African’s tyre advantage proved crucial, but he still had to withstand pressure, recover from losing the lead and execute the decisive middle phase of the race. Once back in clean air, he controlled the final laps and delivered BMW’s first victory of the Zandvoort weekend.

After a tactical, incident-filled DTM Race 2 at Zandvoort in front of 39,500 fans across the weekend, Van der Linde emerged as the clear winner, Dörr celebrated a breakthrough podium, and Engel left the Netherlands back on top of the championship.