TGI Team by GRT will return to a two-car line-up for the upcoming DTM round at the Nürburgring after purchasing a new Lamborghini Temerario GT3 chassis. Team principal Gottfried Grasser confirmed the plans in an interview with Motorsport-Total.com, although the team has yet to decide which driver will join Mirko Bortolotti for the sixth round of the 2026 season.
The Austrian squad competed with only Bortolotti at Oschersleben following Maximilian Paul’s heavy accident at the Norisring. The German suffered fractures to his tibia and fibula as well as a spinal injury in the crash, ruling him out of the following race weekend.
GRT initially hoped to repair Paul’s Lamborghini in time for Oschersleben. However, a shortage of available parts made that impossible, leaving Bortolotti as the team’s sole representative. The team subsequently reassessed the damaged car, with Lamborghini determining that the chassis could not be repaired.
GRT purchases new Lamborghini chassis
Rather than continuing with the damaged car, Gottfried Grasser has now confirmed that GRT purchased a new chassis to ensure it can return to its intended two-car operation at the Nürburgring.
“We’ll be racing with two cars at the Nürburgring again. We’ve bought a new chassis – that’s the solution now. According to Lamborghini, the other car is beyond repair. It will definitely be a Lamborghini works driver. Nothing else has been decided yet.”
The confirmation gives GRT certainty over its car situation ahead of the Nürburgring weekend from 14 to 16 August, where the DTM will contest races 11 and 12 of the 2026 campaign. It also marks a change from the situation ahead of Oschersleben. At that stage, Grasser still believed a repair could prove possible for the Nürburgring and explained that the team remained in discussions with Lamborghini over finding a solution. The decision to purchase another Temerario GT3 now ensures the team can field two cars regardless of the condition of Paul’s original chassis.
Lamborghini works driver set to replace Paul
While GRT has resolved the question surrounding its second car, the identity of its driver remains open. Grasser has confirmed that Lamborghini will select one of its works drivers for the open DTM seat, but the manufacturer and team have not yet made a final decision on who will drive alongside Bortolotti at the Nürburgring.
Lamborghini has several factory drivers with previous DTM experience available within its wider roster. Christian Engelhart, Patric Niederhauser, and Franck Perera have all previously competed in the championship, giving the manufacturer a number of experienced options. Whoever receives the call will partner with Bortolotti, who has carried GRT’s DTM programme alone since Paul’s accident.
Paul had started the 2026 season alongside the 2024 DTM champion after joining GRT as a Lamborghini works driver. His relationship with the team stretches back further, most notably to the Nürburgring in 2023, when he sensationally claimed victory during his first race weekend with the squad. Three years later, the Grasser Racing Team will return to the same circuit with a new Lamborghini chassis in Paul’s place and a temporary replacement behind the wheel as the team restores its two-car DTM operation at the Nürburgring.
