Thomas Preining heads into Manthey Racing’s home DTM weekend at the Nürburgring aiming to build on a significant turnaround in form while keeping one eye on both the championship battle and his longer-term future.
The Austrian endured a difficult spell earlier in the 2026 season, but his campaign gathered momentum at Oschersleben. Preining claimed his second victory of the season on Saturday before adding another podium result on Sunday. His Sunday result has since been provisionally upgraded to second following Mirko Bortolotti’s disqualification, although TGI Team by GRT has appealed the decision.
That resurgence has kept Preining firmly involved at the sharp end of the standings as the DTM arrives at a particularly important circuit for Manthey. The Nürburgring is home territory for the team and its distinctive Grello Porsche, making success at the fifth round of the season particularly meaningful.
Speaking during the press conference ahead of the Nürburgring DTM weekend, with Pit Debrief in attendance, Preining discussed Manthey’s preparations, his championship prospects, the benefits of his long relationship with the team and uncertainty surrounding his future in the series.
Preining confident after productive DTM Nürburgring test
Manthey arrived at its home event having already completed testing at the Nürburgring several weeks earlier. For Preining, the test gave the team an opportunity to work through its programme while also gaining potentially valuable wet-weather running.
“I mean, as you said, it’s the home game for the team. So naturally, it’s very special. This is where the Grello is from, it’s where a large portion of the fan base is as well. So it’s definitely for the team, probably the most important weekend of the year. So anyway, we always try to perform, but for sure the home race is even better if you’re in the front. “
“And I think the test we used as well as possible. It was a bit wet in the end, which might be quite valuable this weekend as well in case there’s some rain, which can always happen at Nürburgring. So I think generally we had a good day where we were able to kick off the test points and improve step by step. But nevertheless, in DTM it’s so tight. As Mirko [Bortolotti] said, we need to wait until after free practice to really judge a bit where we are. But I’m quite confident that we can have another decent weekend.”
Despite the additional preparation, Preining remains wary of drawing conclusions before the competitive running begins. With the DTM field regularly separated by small margins, he expects the opening practice sessions to offer a much clearer indication of Manthey’s position.
Oschersleben resurgence boosts championship hopes
Preining’s Oschersleben weekend represented a major step forward after a difficult opening part of the campaign. His victory and podium put him back towards the front of the championship picture, although he believes Manthey still has work to do before it can consider itself fully back in contention.
“Not yet. We are hopefully on the way to the front. But obviously the leader has almost 30 [more] points, so they just managed to create quite a big gap. We were struggling in the early parts of the season, so we’re still catching. But if we can have another weekend like Oschersleben, of course that would really help our chance to reduce the gap. But this is definitely the aim for this weekend.”
Rather than viewing one strong round as proof that the early-season problems have disappeared, Preining is focused on producing another consistently competitive weekend. Repeating the points haul from Oschersleben would significantly strengthen his chances of closing the deficit during the second half of the campaign.
Manthey and Preining target a first Grello DTM victory at the Nürburgring
Despite Manthey’s close association with the Nürburgring, one notable achievement remains missing from the Grello’s DTM record. According to Preining, the Nürburgring is now the only circuit on the current DTM schedule where the car has yet to take a victory. Changing that record at the team’s home circuit would make an already significant weekend even more special.
“I think it’s the last track in DTM where we haven’t won a race. So of course we would like to change that. Like I said, I think we are well prepared. But it’s always tough. The competition is unfortunately not sleeping. Neither are we. But it’s always a matter of waiting for FP1, FP2 and then especially for Quali 1 to really judge how quick you are and what you have for the weekend. But I’m quite confident we will be able to score some decent points here.”
Preining once again stressed the difficulty of predicting the competitive order before qualifying. Even with Manthey’s knowledge of the venue and its recent test, the tight nature of the championship leaves little room for complacency.
Familiarity with Manthey makes communication “a lot easier”
Preining’s relationship with Manthey stretches across several seasons, and that continuity has allowed both driver and team to develop a working relationship in which many processes have become increasingly instinctive. Asked by Pit Debrief where that familiarity benefits him most during a DTM weekend, Preining explained that years of working with the same personnel have shortened the process of identifying and solving problems with the car.
“Honestly, it’s a really difficult question. I think it’s just a lot of the processes and a lot of the personnel also that you just get really accustomed with. Actually, when you work together with the same engineers and the same mechanics for so many years, everything starts to be like a family and it’s like automatic. Also, let’s say whatever the meeting structure and the way we approach a weekend, the way we approach the setup as well, the direction we go in, everything is just kind of more and more tailored to you, let’s say at some point.
“And also everything is getting easier with shorter routes to success, let’s say. So when we are missing something on the balance with the car, it takes very little communication and very little time to fix it because when I describe a problem in a certain way, everybody knows immediately how much I need and what I need. So this just makes it a lot easier than when you start from zero.”
That understanding can prove particularly valuable in a championship such as DTM, where limited track time and extremely small margins place a premium on quickly finding the right set-up direction.
Manthey’s “scientific” and data-driven approach
Preining also offered an insight into Manthey’s distinctive approach to race weekends. While every driver must adapt when joining a new operation, he believes Manthey takes its reliance on data and evidence to another level. That philosophy requires drivers to trust decisions that might elsewhere rely more heavily on instinct or feeling.
“I think it’s a question of interpretation. I mean, in the end, no matter which team you go to, when you are new, you need to get used to it and need to kind of get used to it. At Manthey, I think what is special is that it’s a very scientific approach, it’s very data-driven and it’s very highly professional.”
“And this is definitely very common nowadays obviously in motorsport, but it’s on a totally different level in this team. So it’s for sure something that you need to be comfortable with, you need to be comfortable to trust the team with so many things that in other teams might be more created by feeling, where here it’s really fact-based decisions.”
“And this is just for sure something that you need to learn to trust and something that you need to get used to, but once you obviously see the proof that it’s a system that works better than the old school approach based by statistics, it’s quite easy to get used to and quite easy to trust.“
Having spent several years within that system, Preining has developed the confidence to rely on Manthey’s processes, with the familiarity between both sides complementing the team’s analytical approach.
Wet DTM Nürburgring conditions could suit Preining and Porsche
Weather can quickly change the complexion of a Nürburgring weekend, and the possibility of rain places additional importance on Manthey’s wet running during its pre-event test. Preining enjoys racing in wet conditions and believes the Porsche can also perform strongly in the rain. However, he identified tyre activation and front-end aquaplaning as potential difficulties when significant amounts of standing water develop.
“For us, it’s quite the opposite. Generally, I really like to drive in the rain. Obviously, given the track that we are going to, I have had my fair share of laps there in the wet. And generally, also the Porsche is quick in the rain. But nevertheless, when there is a lot of water, sometimes we struggle a bit to activate the tyres and to not get aquaplaning on the front, especially. So for sure, for us, when it’s a bit less water, it helps.”
The combination of Preining’s experience at the circuit and Manthey’s recent wet-weather testing could therefore prove useful should conditions change during the weekend.
DTM future “not always 100% in my hands” claims Preining
Beyond the immediate fight for results, Preining also addressed his future after comments made during a frustrating Norisring weekend raised questions over whether he could step away from the championship. Looking back, the 2023 DTM champion described those remarks as a product of a particularly difficult period rather than confirmation that he had decided to leave racing.
“Generally, obviously, those are a heat of the moment things. It was a very frustrating time, not only at Norisring, but also the races before where we were really, really not doing as well as we probably should have. So, yeah, for sure I was frustrated, nevertheless, in that moment and in the following weeks during the summer, of course, I was spending a lot of time thinking what is the right steps for my future.”
“But I haven’t taken a decision yet. I mean, I’m definitely going to stick around for a few more years in racing in general. I’m not going to hang up the boots just yet, but as a work driver, obviously, it’s also not always entirely up to me to decide which programme I do, etc.”
“So, of course, I do a lot of DTM. It’s my favourite championship and I would love to stay, but it’s not always 100% in my hands. And also, like I said at Norisring, also the way it was then, it makes nor so much sense to drive, but obviously, the way it’s been going since then is, again, totally different. So, it’s very up-and-down.”
For now, Preining’s focus returns to the Nürburgring, where he will look to build on his Oschersleben momentum and deliver a long-awaited home victory for Manthey.
