Matteo Cairoli returned to the top step of the DTM podium with a commanding victory in Race 1 at the Nürburgring, converting pole position into his third win of the 2026 season.
The Emil Frey Racing driver controlled the race from the front and gradually built a sizeable advantage over Manthey Porsche’s Thomas Preining. While incidents and retirements unfolded throughout the field, Cairoli remained largely untroubled and crossed the line 9.973 seconds clear of Preining, with Schubert Motorsport’s Marco Wittmann completing the podium. Only 12 cars reached the chequered flag after a particularly eventful race.
The victory proved particularly significant for Cairoli following more difficult weekends at the Norisring and Oschersleben. After the race, Pit Debrief attended the DTM press conference as the Italian discussed returning to his preferred operating window with the Ferrari 296 GT3, managing his advantage and the key lessons behind his dominant performance.
A “very needed” victory after recent struggles
Cairoli had already shown his potential around the Nürburgring by setting the pace in Friday’s opening practice session before securing pole position on Saturday morning. He then converted that starting position into a lights-to-flag victory, immediately creating breathing room over Preining and continuing to extend the gap throughout the race.
His return to the front came after two rounds in which he struggled to replicate the form that had previously brought him victories at Zandvoort and the Lausitzring. Cairoli explained that finding the right compromise with the car allowed him to regain the competitiveness he had been missing.
“Well, maybe yes, but for sure it was a very needed win, because the last two events we went through some frustration and some struggle, where the performance for any reason were not coming, despite it was sticking in my heart. Yeah, finally I think we found the right compromise for me with the car. And this was basically the reason why we came back to be competitive. So it was an amazing race, the car was simply flying, I have to say. And yeah, I have to say a bif thanks to the team, because it’s pretty clear without their help I wouldn’t be here today. So, pleasure to drive and pleasure to win at the Nürburgring again.”
Building a gap allowed Cairoli to relax
Despite the apparent ease of his victory, Cairoli insisted that pressure remained present with experienced competitors Preining and Wittmann among those behind him.
The Ferrari driver established his advantage early and continued to pull away. Once he recognised that the gap was growing, Cairoli could settle into his rhythm rather than having to defend his position directly during DTM Race 1 at the Nürburgring.
“The pressure is somehow always there I try to deal with it in the best way. Of course, having Thomas [Preining] next to me and Marco [Wittmann] and all the others, I want to try to get some gap and some space, and this is actually what happened. As soon as I see that I was pulling some gap, then I started to not control it, but to feel a bit more relaxed with myself, and that was also a key for today’s win.”
While numerous incidents affected the race behind him, Cairoli maintained control at the front through the mandatory pit-stop phase before extending his lead to almost 10 seconds by the finish.
Avoiding overdriving proves key to Nürburgring DTM Race 1 success for Cairoli
Managing the Ferrari rather than continuously pushing beyond its limits also played an important role in Cairoli’s performance.
The Italian highlighted the lesson he had taken from his first victory of the season at Zandvoort. On that occasion, he felt that pushing the car too hard occasionally caused him to lose control. At the Nürburgring, he deliberately changed his approach and focused on reaching the limit without exceeding it.
“For sure, we discovered since Free Practice, and we are having a very warm DTM season, so the key is not to, for me at least, talking about Ferrari and myself, to not overpush. And this is basically what I did, I was trying to always get to the limit of the car, but without over-forcing it, and yeah, in the end it worked perfectly because I had also during the Zandvoort race, when we won the first time, I was probably forcing a bit too much the car, and sometimes I was losing it, and I said I don’t want to let this happen again. Therefore I decided to really give my very best, but without over-shooting or over-forcing the car.”
That measured approach allowed Cairoli to maintain both his pace and consistency, leaving his rivals unable to mount a challenge as the race progressed.
Cairoli finds his “comfort zone” again
Cairoli’s 2026 campaign has featured notable swings in competitiveness. Strong weekends at Zandvoort and the Lausitzring showed the potential of the Emil Frey Racing package, while the Norisring and Oschersleben proved significantly more difficult.
Asked why his performances had fluctuated so dramatically between events, Cairoli admitted that he did not have a definitive explanation. However, he pointed towards his relationship with the car and his ability to operate within his preferred comfort zone.
“I would like to answer this question, but I cannot, simply cannot. I am also asking myself why in Norisring and Oscersleben we were a bit lost, I would say. For sure I think I was not driving the car in my comfort zone, I am pretty honest with that. Therefore I was expecting something, but in the end it was not happening. We fought a bit with each other, rather than heling each other with the car, we were fighting. Now it looks like we found our comfort zone and I am very pleased with that.”
The performance during DTM Race 1 at the Nürburgring offered a clear contrast for Cairoli. Rather than fighting against the characteristics of his Ferrari, Cairoli could extract its potential while remaining comfortable behind the wheel.
Smoke around the Nürburgring
The drivers also faced unusual conditions during Saturday’s race as smoke became increasingly visible around the circuit.
When asked during the press conference whether the conditions had affected his concentration or the air inside the cockpit, Cairoli acknowledged the seriousness of the situation. However, he explained that the demands of racing meant his attention remained firmly on the task at hand. The Italian also drew a connection to similar issues around his home region of Como.
“I would say copy and paste, and what Thomas [Preining] just said, to be honest, it’s really bad to see what’s going on, especially so close to my area in Italy, in Como, we have the same issue, so unfortunately we need to try to be as safe as possible, but when you are flat out during the race, the focus is somewhere else.”
Cairoli refuses to give up on the title fight
Despite the victory bringing Cairoli back into the championship conversation, the Italian remains focused on taking the season race by race rather than looking too far ahead. With the difficult Norisring and Oschersleben weekends, as well as a costly DNF, leaving him with ground to make up on championship leader Maro Engel, Cairoli acknowledged that the title challenge will not be easy but insisted he has no intention of giving up.
“Yeah, I mean for sure, realistically it’s going to be tough, the last two events were quite hard for us, we also had the DNF on top of that, so zero points. Honestly I’m not thinking too much of the championship, I just want to concentrate myself race by race, and then eventually we’ll see at the end, but Maro [Engel] has quite a big gap now, it’s going to be tough to catch him, but for sure until we have a mathematical chance to be there, I will never ever give up.”
After two challenging rounds, Cairoli’s Nürburgring victory provided a significant response. More importantly for the races ahead, the Italian believes he and Emil Frey Racing have rediscovered the set-up window that allows him to work with the Ferrari rather than fight against it.
