DTM | 2026 Lausitzring | Race 2 | Cairoli claims victory and championship lead

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Matteo Cairoli claimed his second victory of the 2026 DTM season after resisting intense late pressure from Nicki Thiim Race 2 at the Lausitzring. The Emil Frey Racing Ferrari driver managed his fading tyres through the closing laps and crossed the line just 0.413 seconds ahead of Thiim. Cairoli’s victory, which followed his earlier success at Zandvoort, also moved him to the top of the championship standings.

Finn Wiebelhaus completed the podium after passing his HRT Ford team-mate Arjun Maini with two laps remaining. The result marked the 20-year-old rookie’s first podium finish in the DTM.

Maini eventually finished fourth after starting from pole position, while Mirko Bortolotti secured fifth for GRT Lamborghini. Luca Engstler, Kelvin van der Linde, Maro Engel, Marco Wittmann and Thomas Preining completed the top 10.

Maini controlled the start before the safety car interruption

Maini made a clean getaway from pole position and retained the lead into the opening corner, with Cairoli slotting into second ahead of Thiim and Wiebelhaus. Preining endured a more difficult opening lap and fell from sixth to 11th before the race was neutralised on lap two, when Maximilian Paul’s Lamborghini lost a large section of rear bodywork and scattered debris across the start-finish straight.

Once the circuit had been cleared, Maini managed the restart well and maintained his advantage over Cairoli, while Thiim and Wiebelhaus remained close behind. Further back, Preining attempted to recover the positions he had lost and repeatedly pressured Saturday race winner Ben Dörr, although the McLaren driver kept him behind despite carrying 20 kilograms of success ballast.

Cairoli used the undercut to take the lead at DTM Race 2 at the Lausitzring

Wiebelhaus became the first of the leading drivers to stop for fresh tyres, while several midfield runners, including Kelvin van der Linde and Lucas Auer, also chose an early change. Preining used the undercut to move ahead of Dörr before Cairoli employed the same strategy to take the effective lead from Maini. After stopping one lap before the pole-sitter, the Ferrari driver completed a strong out-lap, while Maini overshot his marks when he entered the HRT pit box on the following tour and made the tyre change more difficult for his mechanics.

That delay allowed Cairoli to emerge ahead once the pit-stop sequence had played out, although Maini remained in front of Wiebelhaus. Thiim stayed out until shortly before the window closed and rejoined between the two Fords in third place. Meanwhile, Maro Engel and Jules Gounon both received penalty laps after their mechanics failed to keep a wheel held securely during their stops. Engel continued after losing ground, but Gounon later retired.

Thiim gained second as the strategy battle intensified

Cairoli remained under pressure after the first pit-stop sequence, with Maini gradually reducing the gap while Thiim also closed on the leading pair. The developing three-way fight continued until the second pit window opened, when Wiebelhaus once again became the first of the front-runners to stop. However, another slow tyre change prevented him from fully exploiting the undercut and left him fourth once the remaining leaders had completed their stops.

There was also drama at the pit entry as Tom Kalender braked extremely late and narrowly avoided hitting Bastian Buus’ Porsche, taking evasive action at the last moment before entering the pit lane. Maini stopped two laps after Wiebelhaus as HRT attempted to undercut Cairoli, but despite returning to the track on warmer tyres, the gap proved too large, and the Ferrari retained the effective lead.

Wiebelhaus passed Maini to claim maiden podium

Thiim extended his stint beyond those of his closest rivals and waited until late in the pit window before making his final tyre change, a decision which allowed him to rejoin ahead of Maini. Although the Aston Martin driver initially had to defend while bringing his tyres up to temperature, he kept the Ford behind before beginning to close rapidly on Cairoli. Maini then started to struggle on older tyres and came under pressure from Wiebelhaus, who quickly caught the sister HRT Ford.

The two team-mates fought closely but cleanly for the final podium position, with Maini defending firmly despite Wiebelhaus holding a clear pace advantage. With two laps remaining, the rookie finally found a way through and moved into third, securing his maiden DTM podium while Maini had to settle for fourth after leading the opening stages.

Cairoli withstood Thiim’s late charge

At the front, Thiim continued to close as Cairoli’s tyres began to fade, with the Aston Martin driver benefiting from fresher rubber after extending his final stint. He moved within striking distance during the closing laps and remained firmly attached to the back of the Ferrari, leaving Cairoli with little room for error.

Despite the pressure, the Italian stayed composed and positioned his car carefully through the technical sections, while Thiim repeatedly searched for an opening without getting close enough to complete a move. Their battle continued to the chequered flag, where Cairoli held on by just 0.413 seconds to claim his second victory of the season. Thiim’s runner-up finish delivered another strong result for Comtoyou Racing, although Aston Martin narrowly missed out on its first DTM victory.

Wiebelhaus claimed maiden podium as Cairoli took championship lead

Wiebelhaus crossed the line third to secure his maiden DTM podium, while Maini finished fourth after losing the lead during the first pit-stop sequence and two further positions later in the race. Bortolotti took fifth ahead of Engstler, van der Linde, Engel, Wittmann and Preining, while Dörr finished 16th and Glock retired.

Cairoli’s victory moved him on to 78 points and handed him the championship lead by a single point over Auer. After starting second, the Ferrari driver combined a well-executed undercut with strong pace and determined defence to leave the Lausitzring with his second win of the campaign and first place in the standings.