DTM | 2026 Oschersleben | Race 1 | Preining dominates as Engel takes championship lead

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Thomas Preining converted pole position into a commanding victory during DTM Race 1 at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. The Manthey Porsche driver controlled the 40-lap contest to secure his second win of the season and his first DTM triumph at the circuit.

Luca Engstler finished 1.601 seconds behind in second and claimed his first podium of the season for Red Bull Team Abt. Maro Engel completed the podium and moved into the lead of the drivers’ championship.

Preining leads as Engel gains second

Preining retained the lead from pole position as the field entered the opening corner. Behind him, Engel made a strong start and passed Engstler to take second place, while Lucas Auer remained fourth.

Preining immediately began to build an advantage and pulled approximately 2.5 seconds clear during the opening laps. Engel later increased his pace and reduced the gap, but he could not get close enough to attempt a move before the mandatory pit stops.

Further back, Ben Dörr’s promising race ended during the opening lap. The McLaren driver made contact with Jules Gounon at Turn 3 before suffering a puncture that caused further damage to his car.

Gounon continued after the collision but eventually returned to the garage and retired. Marco Wittmann also failed to reach the finish after a puncture ended the Schubert Motorsport driver’s home race.

Pit stops change the podium order

Engstler completed his mandatory tyre change one lap before Preining and Engel stopped after Lap 21. Manthey delivered a quick stop for Preining and returned the Porsche to the circuit without threatening his lead.

Engel lost valuable time when his crew encountered a problem with the left-front wheel. Engstler took advantage of his earlier stop and the temperature in his fresh Pirelli tyres to move ahead of the Mercedes-AMG driver.

Preining retained the lead after the pit cycle, while Engstler emerged in second ahead of Engel. The efficient Manthey stop proved decisive and allowed Preining to remain in control during the second half of the race.

Engstler closes during the final laps

Engstler began to reduce Preining’s advantage after moving into second. However, the narrow Oschersleben circuit and traffic from lapped cars made it difficult for the Lamborghini driver to close sufficiently for an attack.

Preining managed the gap and avoided any mistakes as the race entered its closing stages. He crossed the line after 40 laps to complete a dominant weekend up to that point, having also topped both Friday practice sessions and Qualifying 1.

Engstler followed 1.601 seconds later to secure the Lamborghini Temerario GT3’s first DTM podium. Engel finished third after his slower pit stop prevented him from maintaining second place.

Auer holds off Bortolotti

Auer brought his Mercedes-AMG home in fourth despite pressure from Mirko Bortolotti during the final part of the race. The Lamborghini driver closed the gap but could not move within striking distance and settled for fifth.

Arjun Maini produced a strong recovery drive to finish sixth after starting 12th. Kelvin van der Linde gained eight positions and took seventh for Schubert Motorsport, while Timo Glock secured eighth in the remaining Dörr Motorsport McLaren.

Thierry Vermeulen finished ninth for Emil Frey Racing, with Ricardo Feller completing the top ten in the second Manthey Porsche after starting from 11th.

Engel takes the championship lead

Preining’s victory of DTM Race 1 at Oschersleben moved him into fourth place in the standings and strengthened his championship challenge. He also became the third driver to record two victories during the 2026 DTM season.

Engel’s third-place finish proved enough for him to take the championship lead after Nicki Thiim could only recover from 18th on the grid to finish 12th. Auer remained firmly in contention after adding fourth-place points to his total.