Lucas Auer came close to a home victory in Race 1 of the 2026 DTM season at the Red Bull Ring, ultimately securing second place after a late charge.
The Austrian started from fourth on the grid and worked his way into contention, ultimately leading a strong result for Mercedes-AMG while narrowly missing out on victory to compatriot Thomas Preining.
A strong start from P4
Auer made immediate progress from the start and positioned himself in the fight at the front, capitalising on strong pace and teamwork. However, a late safety car, triggered by Kelvin van der Linde stopping on track with a technical issue, prevented a final-lap restart and denied Auer a last opportunity to challenge for victory.
“It was a pretty perfect start coming from P4, my team did a mega job, I’m really proud to be honest, and unfortunately, we couldn’t finish the last lap, I think it would have been at least a good show, but anyway, P2 is good,” he said.
The result marked a positive start to the 2026 DTM season, particularly on home soil.
Waiting for the opportunity
As the 2026 DTM Red Bull Ring Race 1 entered its final stages, Auer closed in on the leader and prepared to capitalise on any opportunity.
“I mean you always wait for a mistake, because it’s quite tough to overtake, we were on a similar pace I would say, I had a tyre advantage, which helped me a bit, but anyway, you wait for a mistake and then try to send it somewhere.”
Despite his pace advantage, the opportunity never fully materialised before the race was neutralised.
Mercedes-AMG shows early promise
Auer highlighted the overall performance of the Mercedes-AMG package, while acknowledging that Porsche still held the edge.
“First of all the Porsche won, so I think there is still work to do for us, but anyway, it was a good day, it shows that we had a good preparation, a lot of work, for all the four cars, and this paid out at least for the beginning of the season.”
He also reflected on the pit stop phase and the strategic questions introduced by the new tyre.
“I really believe they did a mega job, and we have to analyse which strategy is actually the best, because this was quite interesting with the new tyre, is it an overcut or undercut race, but there was for sure a little loss in the pit, but this we have to analyse, but at the end, to be honest, it was a positive day.”
Late safety car ends the fight
A late safety car ultimately decided the outcome of the 2026 DTM Red Bull Ring Race 1, removing Auer’s final chance to challenge for victory.
“No, I thought ‘s***’, because I knew it’s over, at least this is what they told me. So anyway, this was the end, it was a shame, but this is how motorsport is.”
A strong foundation for 2026
Although he missed out on victory, Auer’s performance confirmed his position as a key contender early in the season. His pace, consistency and ability to fight at the front provided a strong foundation heading into the second race of the DTM weekend.
