DTM | 2026 Red Bull Ring | Race 1 | Preining claims home victory

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It was finally time for the long-awaited opening race of the 2026 DTM season at the Red Bull Ring, and Maro Engel led the field to the green flag after securing pole position in a tightly contested Qualifying 1 session. Thomas Preining and Ben Dörr lined up as immediate challengers, while BMW struggled for pace and Lamborghini continued to search for performance with its new Temerario GT3.

Officials also fined Abt Sportsline €3,000 after discovering that the fire extinguisher in car #130 had not been armed, adding early tension before the race even began.

A clean launch before early chaos

The field rolled away cleanly, and Engel and Preining launched strongly. Dörr immediately lost positions, allowing Lucas Auer to move into the top three.

Riccardo Feller suffered a difficult start and served a penalty lap for a false start. Jules Gounon gained ground early, overtaking Bastian Buus for fifth in Sector 1.

Further back, Kelvin van der Linde and Thierry Vermeulen battled for tenth, while Arjun Maini and Finn Wiebelhaus fought for 15th. Mirko Bortolotti soon passed Wiebelhaus in Sector 2.

The race’s first major incident came on Lap 2 when Dörr made contact with Buus and hit the barriers. Race control deployed the safety car, neutralising the field while marshals recovered the car. Racing resumed on Lap 4.

Engel immediately reasserted control and set the fastest lap at that stage with a 1:29.923.

Track limits warnings pile up

Drivers quickly began to push beyond track limits, especially at Turn 1. Officials issued a wave of warnings across the field, including to Wittmann, Glock, Buus, Maini, Mapelli, Engstler and Bortolotti.

Nicki Thiim exceeded track limits repeatedly and received a black-and-white warning flag. Race control also confirmed that a fifth offence would trigger a penalty lap, although standard warnings did not count towards that total.

Midfield fights intensify before pit window

Kelvin van der Linde made a decisive move on Lap 9, overtaking Matteo Cairoli for seventh place. Timo Glock immediately closed in and challenged him for sixth.

Cairoli then lost time in Sector 1, dropping down the order and allowing Wittmann to climb into ninth.

Bortolotti continued to push in the lower midfield, attempting to close the gap to Wiebelhaus for 14th. He failed to complete the move and soon had to defend as Feller closed rapidly and attacked.

As the race settled into rhythm, the first pit window opened and reshaped the race.

Pit stops shake up the order of the DTM Rd Bull Ring Race 1

Glock became the first driver to pit, followed by Wiebelhaus and Feller. Their stops promoted Bortolotti into 14th.

Engstler rejoined after a 39.844-second stop, while Gounon returned to the track after 39.568 seconds. Buus lost significant time with a longer 42.580-second stop, which dropped him into traffic.

Thiim extended his first stint but eventually pitted with seven minutes remaining in the window, rejoining after a 41.124-second stop on Lap 22.

During this phase, Arjun Maini overtook Gounon, and Thiim, Vermeulen and Bortolotti followed through, pushing Gounon down the order.

Gounon responded in spectacular fashion, executing a triple overtake on Bortolotti, Maini and Vermeulen to climb back into ninth.

Penalties and time losses disrupt the field

Race control issued several penalties during the pit phase. Officials handed Vermeulen a penalty lap for driving side by side in the pit lane. They also penalised Cairoli and Bortolotti for speeding in the pit lane after both exceeded the 50 km/h limit at 54 km/h.

Sector time losses played a major role. On Lap 16, Maini lost 1.7 seconds in Sector 2, Vermeulen dropped nearly two seconds, and Buus also lost over a second. These losses reshuffled the midfield.

Later, Bortolotti lost over 2.1 seconds in Sector 2, while Maximilian Paul dropped more than 2.4 seconds, highlighting how difficult it remained to maintain consistent pace.

Gounon set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:29.129 on Lap 17, surpassing Engel’s earlier benchmark.

Lamborghini fight its own race

While the leaders battled at the front, Lamborghini effectively ran its own race at the back.

The new Temerario GT3 struggled throughout, with both Abt Sportsline and Grasser Racing Team unable to match the midfield pace. The drivers focused on gathering data and understanding the car rather than chasing positions.

Bortolotti and Engstler led the effort and spent much of the race battling each other. At one stage, the pair went wheel-to-wheel for 16th, with Engstler accusing Bortolotti of pushing him towards the edge of the track. Bortolotti eventually completed the move and became the leading Lamborghini.

Second safety car resets the race

The race took another turn when Nicolas Baert stopped off track, prompting a second safety car.

During this phase, several drivers lost significant time, including Bortolotti and Paul. Once racing resumed on Lap 25, Preining controlled the restart confidently.

Auer and Engel resumed their battle for third, while Buus defended strongly from Glock. Behind them, van der Linde ran ahead of Wittmann and Kalender as battles intensified throughout the field.

Final phase brings relentless action

The closing laps delivered constant position changes.

Cairoli overtook Feller for 11th, while Thiim passed Wiebelhaus. Feller, Wiebelhaus and Vermeulen continued to battle intensely, with Engstler also joining the fight.

Contact occurred between Feller and Wiebelhaus, and officials placed the incident under investigation.

Kalender overtook Glock for sixth, while van der Linde and Wittmann also moved past him, dropping Glock further down the order.

At the front, Preining defended from Gounon, while Engel worked his way back into podium contention.

Late drama ends Gounon’s challenge

The race’s decisive moment came when Gounon’s car began smoking from the right rear. He lost pace immediately and dropped out of podium contention.

Engel capitalised and moved back into third place, securing a crucial podium position.

Final laps finish under safety car

Kelvin van der Linde’s race ended in dramatic fashion when his BMW suffered a complete engine failure. He reported a total loss of power before stopping on track.

Race control deployed the safety car for the final lap, which prevented any further overtaking and locked in the result.

Officials also investigated an incident between Bortolotti and Vermeulen for overtaking under safety car conditions.

Preining delivers at home

Preining secured a composed and controlled victory at his home circuit, managing the 2026 DTM Red Bull Ring Race 1 perfectly under pressure. Auer finished second, while Engel completed the podium.

Buus impressed with fourth place on his DTM debut, and Kalender secured fifth.

Cairoli delivered a strong performance in his first DTM race, finishing ninth and showing promising pace despite penalties and traffic.