DTM | 2026 Norisring | Qualifying 1 | Thiim tops record-breaking time and secures pole position

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The DTM field entered Qualifying 1 at the 2026 Norisring after a tightly contested Friday on the championship’s only street circuit. Maro Engel topped FP1 with a late lap ahead of Maximilian Paul and Ben Dörr, before Dörr responded in FP2 by leading Lucas Auer and Jules Gounon. With fewer than nine tenths covering the entire field in final practice, the narrow “Franconian Monaco” set up a qualifying session where traffic, timing and precision would matter.

The Norisring uses a special two-group qualifying format because the short 2.162km layout creates a high risk of traffic. Drivers who finished Friday practice in odd-numbered positions joined Group A, while those in even-numbered positions entered Group B. Each group gets its own 20-minute session, and the final grid alternates between the two groups after the fastest overall driver secures pole.

Group A

The lights went out for Group A as the drivers began their preparation laps, often known as “cooking laps”. During this phase, drivers drag the brakes to build temperature, allowing the tyres to absorb heat and reach the correct core temperature through the heat-soak sequence.

Thierry Vermeulen, Jules Gounon and Maro Engel were among the first drivers to head onto the Norisring and begin setting lap times. Engel set the early benchmark with a 50.800s before more cars joined the session.

The German Mercedes-AMG driver then became the first to break into the 49s.

Dörr continued his strong Friday form and moved up to second, briefly splitting the Mercedes drivers. However, Finn Wiebelhaus then jumped to the top of the timesheets before Dörr responded with a 49.009s to reclaim first place.

With seven minutes remaining, Wiebelhaus pushed further and became the first driver in Group A to reach the 48s. Dörr, still chasing pole position, quickly answered as the two youngsters traded the top spot.

Vermeulen also looked comfortable around the Norisring. The Emil Frey Racing driver went fastest of all in Sector 1 and moved up to second as Group A entered its final decisive minutes. Meanwhile, Luca Engstler sat sixth before championship leader Matteo Cairoli improved and pushed him down the order.

Gounon came under investigation for allegedly impeding another driver.

In the final moments, Dörr looked like the closest contender to Jordan Pepper’s Norisring qualifying record of 48.467s. However, Engel delivered when it mattered. The Mercedes-AMG driver put everything together and crossed the line with a 48.463s, setting a new qualifying record at the Norisring.

Group A Results

Maro Engel
Ben Dörr
Jules Gounon
Finn Wiebelhaus
Thierry Vermeulen
Matteo Cairoli
Luca Engstler
Nicolas Baert
Ricardo Feller
Marco Wittmann
Marco Mapelli

Group B

Group B then headed out for Qualifying 1 at the 2026 DTM Norisring round, with a potential advantage after Group A had already laid down more rubber on the street circuit.

As in the opening group, drivers began with preparation laps to bring the brakes and tyres into the right operating window. Tom Kalender and Lucas Auer stayed on track, while Bastian Buus and Timo Glock returned to the pits for their heat-soak sequence.

In the garage, mechanics pushed the cars back and forth to ensure the tyres did not sit in one position for too long while the brakes remained hot.

Mirko Bortolotti and Maximilian Paul then joined the action as more drivers began their first serious attempts.

Kalender quickly picked up the pace. The Mercedes-AMG driver set purple sectors in the first two parts of the lap and became the first Group B driver to break into the 49s.

With 10 minutes remaining, every car had joined the session. Glock showed flashes of pace and moved into third, while Kelvin van der Linde remained towards the bottom of the order. Kalender, meanwhile, flirted with the walls as he pushed to the limit around the narrow Norisring.

The final moments of Qualifying 1 at the 2026 DTM Norisring

With six minutes left, van der Linde improved to fifth. Glock also climbed back to third after Arjun Maini had briefly moved into second.

Nicki Thiim then took control with a 48.669s. Maini briefly displaced him at the top, but the 2024 Norisring winner responded immediately. Thiim improved first to a 48.522s and then to a 48.513s, putting himself within reach of Engel’s new benchmark from Group A.

Then Thiim delivered. The Comtoyou Racing driver crossed the line with a 48.449s, beating Engel’s record and moving onto provisional pole.

The final seconds left no room for error. Any driver still on a lap needed to make it count, but nobody could beat Thiim’s time. Engel had to settle for second overall, while Maini secured a place on the second row.