DTM| 2026 Norisring | FP2 | Dörr leads Auer and Gounon in tight final practice

Spread the love

The DTM returned to action at the Norisring for the second practice session (FP2) of the day after Maro Engel topped FP1 with a late qualifying-style lap.

Engel denied Maximilian Paul the fastest time in the closing moments, while Ben Dörr completed the top three after leading much of the session. With the championship reaching its halfway point at the narrow “Franconian Monaco”, FP2 gave the drivers another opportunity to refine their preparations ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session.

Green light for FP2 at the 2026 DTM Norisring

The first drivers quickly made their way onto the circuit as FP2 began in Nuremberg.

Matteo Cairoli set the early pace with a 49.647s before Lucas Auer moved ahead of him. Mirko Bortolotti followed closely behind as the reigning champion continued his encouraging start to the weekend.

Luca Engstler showed stronger pace than he had during the opening session and moved into sixth, while his Red Bull Team ABT teammate occupied 11th place.

Dörr then continued the form he had shown in FP1 by taking over at the top with a 49.239s.

Jules Gounon soon emerged as another leading contender and became the first driver to break into the 48-second range. Engel and Auer completed an all-Mercedes-AMG top three, offering an early indication of the battle that could unfold during qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday.

Buus delayed by apparent car trouble

Further down the order, Thomas Preining and Ricardo Feller occupied places in the lower half of the timesheets.

Their Manthey connection extended beyond the DTM, with both drivers having recently shared the winning car at the 2026 24 Hours of Spa alongside Land Motorsport driver, Bastian Buus, with Lionspeed GP. However, none of the trio featured near the front during the opening stages of FP2.

Buus had yet to set a time as the session approached its halfway point. The Land Motorsport driver appeared to encounter a problem with his car, which kept him in the garage while the rest of the field continued to gather valuable data.

Paul, meanwhile, improved rapidly and climbed into third. His pace provided another encouraging sign for the new Lamborghini Temerario GT3 as its four drivers continued to learn and develop the car.

Thierry Vermeulen held a steady fifth place with fewer than 20 minutes remaining. Kelvin van der Linde also made progress after struggling near the bottom of the order in FP1, moving into the midfield in 11th.

Mercedes drivers remain in contention

Buus finally joined the action with around 12 minutes remaining. He immediately set the fastest final sector and moved into 16th place.

Mercedes-AMG drivers once again occupied the top three positions as the teams began their final qualifying-style runs.

GRT Grasser Racing Team also placed both of its Lamborghini cars inside the top 10. Paul ran fifth, while Bortolotti occupied ninth as the team continued its positive Friday at the Norisring.

Dörr remained firmly in contention and returned to the top of the timesheets with five minutes left. The field used the closing stages to complete its final setup work ahead of Saturday morning’s qualifying session.

Dörr ends Friday on top

The drivers kept the session clean as the chequered flag approached, with no late interruptions preventing the final improvements.

Dörr ultimately finished FP2 fastest, beating championship contender Auer into second place. Gounon completed the top three after maintaining his strong pace throughout the session.

Fewer than nine tenths of a second separated the entire field, underlining how closely matched the DTM grid remained around the short Norisring layout.

With both Friday practice sessions complete, Dörr entered Saturday as one of the leading contenders after placing inside the top three in FP1 and topping FP2.