DTM | 2026 Hockenheimring | Race 2 | Engel wins season finale as Preining secures second DTM title

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Maro Engel claimed victory in the final race of the 2026 DTM season at the Hockenheimring, but Thomas Preining secured his second Drivers’ Championship with a controlled drive to third place. The Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol driver dominated the closing stages to secure his third victory of the season, finishing 3.058 seconds ahead of Ricardo Feller, while Preining completed the podium for Manthey Racing.

Despite Engel’s victory, Preining’s podium finish proved sufficient to secure the Championship, adding to his maiden title from 2023. Meanwhile, Marco Wittmann finished seventh after recovering from a difficult qualifying session, leaving the BMW driver third in the final standings.

Buus leads as Preining makes a strong start

Following Sunday morning’s closely contested Qualifying 2, Bastian Buus started the season finale from pole position after securing his maiden DTM pole with a lap of 1:36.923. Ricardo Feller completed the front row for Porsche, while Engel and Preining faced the task of improving their positions to settle the Championship battle.

Buus made a clean getaway to retain the lead as the field entered the opening corners. However, Engel immediately began moving forward, climbing to second before the end of the opening lap.

Preining also enjoyed an impressive start. The Manthey driver climbed from seventh to third during the opening exchanges, placing himself directly behind his main Championship rival. Feller followed in fourth, while Ben Dörr moved into fifth in his McLaren.

Further back, Jules Gounon’s race ended prematurely following contact with Thierry Vermeulen at Turn 2. The incident damaged the Mercedes-AMG driver’s left-rear suspension, forcing him to retire after the opening lap. Race control subsequently penalised Vermeulen for his involvement in the collision.

Meanwhile, Wittmann also gained several positions after starting 16th. The Schubert Motorsport driver worked his way towards the top seven, although he still faced a difficult challenge to recover enough points to threaten Preining’s Championship advantage.

Engel takes the lead after intense battle with Buus

At the front, Buus initially maintained his advantage over Engel, but the Mercedes-AMG driver gradually reduced the gap. With his Championship hopes dependent on a victory, Engel continued applying pressure as the leaders approached the opening pit stop window.

Buus defended strongly, particularly through the hairpin, but his efforts allowed Preining and Feller to close on the leading pair. Consequently, four drivers became involved in the battle for the lead.

On lap 11, Engel launched an aggressive move on Buus at Turn 8. The pair made contact during the manoeuvre, but Engel completed the overtake and moved into first place.

Preining immediately capitalised on the battle, passing Buus to move into second. Feller subsequently found his way past the Land Motorsport driver, dropping the polesitter to fourth.

The developments strengthened Preining’s position in the Championship fight. Although Engel now led the race, the Austrian remained close behind and held a sufficient points advantage to secure the title.

Buus, meanwhile, faced the challenge of recovering the positions he had lost after leading the opening ten laps.

Pit stop strategies fail to change the leading order

The first mandatory pit stop window provided another opportunity for the leading drivers to gain positions through strategy.

Preining stopped shortly after Buus, while Engel remained on track for another lap before completing his first tyre change. Despite the threat of an undercut from his Championship rival, Engel’s Mercedes-AMG crew delivered a clean stop, allowing him to retain the lead.

The successful stop marked an important improvement from Saturday’s opening race, when a problem removing the right-rear wheel cost Engel valuable time and dropped him from the lead to fourth.

This time, Engel maintained his advantage and began extending the gap to Preining. Feller remained third, followed by Buus, as the leading quartet settled into the middle stint.

Engel gradually established a lead of more than four seconds, while Preining focused on protecting his Championship position rather than taking unnecessary risks.

The second mandatory pit stop window introduced another strategic challenge. Preining again stopped one lap before Engel, hoping to gain time on fresh tyres. However, the Mercedes-AMG driver retained his advantage after another efficient stop.

Buus briefly gained ground through an alternative stopping strategy, but the Manthey drivers regained their positions once their tyres reached the optimal operating temperature.

Light rain also appeared during the closing stages, briefly raising concerns about changing track conditions. However, the rainfall remained insufficient to require wet tyres, allowing the drivers to continue on slicks.

Engel controls the closing stages as Feller moves ahead of Preining

With the mandatory pit stops complete, Engel continued controlling the race from the front. The Mercedes-AMG driver maintained a comfortable advantage over Preining, while Feller remained close behind his Manthey teammate.

Although Feller appeared to have stronger pace during the final stint, he initially avoided challenging Preining, allowing his teammate to maintain second place as the Championship approached its conclusion.

Buus continued following the Manthey pair in fourth, but he could not find an opportunity to recover a podium position. Meanwhile, Dörr remained fifth, ahead of Matteo Cairoli in the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari.

On the final lap, Preining allowed Feller to move ahead into second place. The Swiss driver completed the manoeuvre in the stadium section, securing a double podium for Manthey and strengthening the team’s successful conclusion to the season.

Engel remained unchallenged and crossed the finish line after 34 laps to claim his third victory of 2026. He finished 3.058 seconds ahead of Feller, while Preining followed another 0.640 seconds behind to complete the podium.

Buus secured fourth, just 0.296 seconds behind the newly crowned Champion, recording his best DTM race result of the season.

Wittmann finishes seventh as Dörr leads the midfield

Behind the leading quartet, Dörr completed an impressive performance to finish fifth for Dörr Motorsport. The McLaren driver gained five places from his starting position and crossed the line 10.139 seconds behind Engel.

Cairoli followed in sixth, completing the final race of the season as the highest-placed Ferrari driver.

Wittmann recovered from 16th on the grid to finish seventh, gaining nine positions in his Schubert Motorsport BMW. However, despite his progress, he could not match the pace of the leading Porsche and Mercedes-AMG drivers.

The result also ended Wittmann’s hopes of claiming the Drivers’ Championship, with Preining’s podium finish placing the title beyond his reach.

Arjun Maini secured eighth for HRT Ford Racing and also recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 1:37.842. Meanwhile, Marco Mapelli finished ninth in his Lamborghini, ahead of Saturday’s runner-up Mirko Bortolotti, who completed the top ten.

Further back, Finn Wiebelhaus finished 11th, followed by Vermeulen, Saturday’s race winner Lucas Auer, Nicki Thiim and Tom Kalender. The latter’s 15th-place finish helped confirm his Rookie of the Year title.

Preining crowned two-time DTM Champion as Manthey secures Teams’ title

Although Engel secured victory in the season finale, Preining’s third-place finish confirmed his second DTM Drivers’ Championship following his previous success in 2023.

The Austrian entered the final race with a 20-point advantage over Wittmann and a 22-point lead over Engel. His strong opening lap immediately improved his position, while his consistent pace and clean pit stops ensured he remained comfortably within the points needed to secure the Championship.

Preining concluded the season with 225 points, finishing 12 ahead of Engel, who moved into second with 213 following his victory and qualifying point. Wittmann completed the top three with 198 points.

The result also rewarded Manthey Racing with the Teams’ Championship, as Feller’s second-place finish completed a successful weekend for the Porsche outfit.

Mercedes-AMG secured the Manufacturers’ Championship, finishing ahead of Porsche. The manufacturer claimed its third consecutive title and 17th overall, while Engel’s victory provided another highlight in its successful season.

The Hockenheimring finale therefore brought the 2026 DTM season to a close with contrasting celebrations. Engel ended his campaign with victory and the runner-up position in the standings, while Preining secured the ultimate prize with his second Drivers’ Championship.