Ben Dörr described his Sachsenring Race 2 victory as a moment he will never forget after converting a commanding performance into his first DTM win achieved by crossing the finish line in first place. The Dörr Motorsport driver had already claimed his maiden DTM victory earlier in the 2026 season at the Lausitzring. However, that success only came after the race when a penalty promoted him to the top step of the podium. His Sachsenring triumph therefore offered an entirely different experience.
Dörr excelled as the circuit transitioned from wet to dry conditions and established a sizeable advantage before two late Safety Car periods erased his lead. Despite Thomas Preining applying pressure behind him, the McLaren driver controlled the final restarts and crossed the line first. Speaking during the post-race press conference attended by Pit Debrief, Dörr reflected on the significance of the victory, the crucial tyre decision before the start and what the result means for his team.
“A super, super special moment” for Dörr
Dörr’s second victory of the season gave him his first opportunity to experience the celebrations immediately after taking the chequered flag at the front of DTM Race 2 at the Sachsenring. The 21-year-old said the feeling differed significantly from his Lausitzring success and credited both the strength of his car and his confidence in the changing conditions for helping everything come together at the Sachsenring.
“Yeah, I feel amazing at the moment. It feels great to finally win a race on the line. It’s a completely different feeling to what I experienced in Lausitzring. So, yeah, I can really enjoy it. It was a special moment, definitely. I will never forget it, I think, in my career. So, definitely a super, super special moment today. Yeah, I think everything came together perfectly. The car was flying today.”
“I felt great, especially the mixed conditions in the beginning. I felt super comfortable. I had a really good feeling in the car. And, yeah, the pace looked just incredibly strong. Also, seconds didn’t look good. In the end, I struggled a little bit against Thomas with new tyres. So, yeah, but luckily another safety car came out, which helped me a little bit. And, yeah, it was finally the first win on the line for me. Yeah, so not much to say. It feels amazing. Yeah, so I really can enjoy it.”
Late start delay changes Dörr’s tyre strategy
The changing weather created one of the biggest decisions of Race 2 before the field had even started racing. Dörr initially prepared to start on wet-weather tyres, but Race Control delayed the start of DTM Race 2 at the Sachsenring by ten minutes. The additional drying time prompted his team to reconsider the decision and switch back to slicks. Although the McLaren initially lacked grip, Dörr quickly found confidence as conditions improved. He then emerged as one of the fastest drivers on the circuit and moved into the lead as the advantage swung towards the slick runners.
“Yeah, so first we wanted to go on wet tyres into the race. I had the wet tyres on, but then it says that the race is delayed 10 minutes. Yeah, then we decided to go back on slicks because, yeah, the 10 minutes was just too long. And it was definitely the right choice, I think. Yeah, then we went back on slick tyres. Yeah, in the first corners, I struggled a little bit with the grip, but then I had a really good feeling in the car, especially in the mixed conditions.”
“I don’t know why, I was just flying. I had such a good feeling. The grip level I had was amazing. Yeah, no mistakes. I think this was the flawless race I ever had in my life. So, yeah, absolutely on point. And there was not much to do better from my side, so I’m just super happy with the performance from everyone, especially also from the team. Two good pit stops today, which made it possible. I think everything was just on point today.”
Safety Cars erase Dörr’s advantage and increase the pressure
Dörr had built a comfortable advantage before a late Safety Car brought Preining directly back into contention. The situation became particularly challenging because Dörr had already used his new tyre sets, while he suspected Preining had fresher rubber available for the restart. His attempts to gain confirmation over the radio only strengthened that suspicion. However, Dörr trusted the strengths of his McLaren through the Sachsenring’s faster sections and successfully kept Preining behind. A second late Safety Car offered further assistance before Dörr controlled the final restart to secure the victory.
“Yeah, for sure it’s a bit frustrating if you’re leading with, I don’t know, more than 10 seconds, and then safety car’s coming out, and I used my new tyres already, my two sets. Then I asked my engineers three times what tyres Thomas had on the car, and he never gave me an answer, so I knew the answer, which made it a bit more difficult. But, yeah, I tried my best. I knew that our cars, especially in the high speed corners, are really good here, and I can maybe defend him with the new tyres. And, yeah, luckily another safety car came out at the end, which helped me a lot, and we brought it home.”
Sachsenring victory provides further motivation for Dörr Motorsport
The result also represented another significant step forward for Dörr Motorsport. The team has made clear progress during its DTM programme, while Dörr’s results in 2026 have included a podium, two victories and a considerably stronger points haul than the previous season. Asked how important the Sachsenring success could prove for the future of the team, Dörr highlighted the progress already made while stressing the motivational impact of another major result.
“I think we showed already this year good progress and good results. For sure, this is, again, something mega, which is super nice for everyone and for the whole team. I think we can be already happy with what we achieved this year with a podium and a victory and a lot more points than last year. I think we can be already super happy, but this is definitely another good result, which is good for everyone, especially for the whole team. To get motivated for the future.”
After missing out on the experience of celebrating his first DTM victory immediately at the Lausitzring, Dörr finally had his opportunity at the Sachsenring. This time, there was no need to wait for a post-race decision: he took the chequered flag first and stood on the top step of the podium as the race winner.
