Thomas Preining will head to the 2026 DTM season finale as the provisional Drivers’ Championship leader after extending his advantage during Round 7 at the Sachsenring, while Marco Wittmann has moved to within a single point of Maro Engel in the increasingly close battle behind.
Preining entered the weekend only one point behind Engel but took control of the championship with third place in Race 1 before finishing second behind Ben Dörr in an unpredictable Race 2. Wittmann continued his late-season surge with victory on Saturday and sixth on Sunday, while Engel’s weekend ended with a costly penalty that dropped him outside the points in Race 2.
However, as was the case following Round 6 at the Nürburgring, all three championship classifications remain provisional. TGI Team by GRT’s appeal against Mirko Bortolotti’s disqualification from Oschersleben Race 2 remains unresolved. The current DTM tables therefore continue to use the amended Oschersleben classification, meaning the Drivers’, Teams’ and Manufacturers’ totals could still change before the Hockenheim finale.
Preining takes control with 23-point provisional lead
Preining arrived at the Sachsenring second on 159 points, only one behind Engel, and immediately strengthened his position by qualifying second for Saturday’s opener. The two qualifying bonus points moved him ahead before the race had even started, while third place behind Wittmann and Jules Gounon added another 16.
His Sunday proved even more productive. Preining qualified sixth and remained patient through a race complicated by damp conditions, changing tyre performance and multiple Safety Cars. He eventually finished second behind Dörr to add another 20 points, taking his Sachsenring haul to 38 and his provisional season total to 197.
Preining consequently leaves Round 7 with a 23-point advantage over Engel and 24 over Wittmann. With a maximum of 56 available across the two Hockenheim races and qualifying sessions, the Manthey driver controls his own position heading into the finale, although the unresolved Oschersleben appeal means his exact margin remains subject to change.
Engel drops from first to second after costly Sunday
Engel’s Sachsenring weekend initially appeared capable of keeping him at the head of the championship. Fifth place in Race 1 gave the Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol driver 11 points and increased his total from 160 to 171, leaving him six behind Preining after Saturday.
He responded by taking pole in wet conditions on Sunday, collecting three bonus points and reducing the deficit before Race 2. However, the race itself proved much more damaging. Engel initially crossed the line among the leading group but received a 15-second penalty following contact with Kelvin van der Linde, dropping him to 17th and outside the points.
He therefore leaves the Sachsenring on 174 points, having added only 14 across the weekend. Engel drops from first to second and now trails Preining by 23, although his current total includes the additional points gained through Bortolotti’s provisional Oschersleben disqualification.
Should GRT succeed in its appeal, Engel would lose the extra points gained through his promotion in that race, further altering the title picture before Hockenheim.
Wittmann continues rapid rise with second consecutive win
Wittmann has transformed his championship position over the previous two rounds. After winning Race 2 at the Nürburgring, he carried that momentum into the Sachsenring and immediately took pole for Saturday’s contest.
The Schubert Motorsport driver converted that starting position into victory, holding off Gounon to claim his second consecutive DTM win. Pole and victory produced 28 points before Sunday, increasing his total from 135 to 163 and moving him firmly into the championship’s leading group.
Sunday proved more difficult after he qualified well down the order, but Wittmann recovered to sixth and collected another 10 points. His 38-point weekend therefore moves him from fifth to third on 173, only one behind Engel and 24 behind Preining.
The late-season sequence has changed the shape of the title fight considerably. Wittmann arrived at the Nürburgring seventh on 94 points but has scored 79 across the last four races and qualifying sessions, leaving him firmly within range of the championship lead before Hockenheim.
Auer remains fourth as Cairoli moves ahead of Thiim
Lucas Auer retains fourth despite another weekend in which he could not match the leading trio’s points totals. The Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf driver started Round 7 on 136 and added 16 across the two races, recovering from a pit-lane start on Saturday to finish 11th before taking fifth on Sunday.
His total rises to 152, leaving him 45 behind Preining. Auer therefore remains mathematically capable of taking the title with 56 points available at Hockenheim, although he would need a substantial swing against the leading three.
Matteo Cairoli moves from sixth to fifth after another productive weekend for Emil Frey Racing. Sixth in Race 1 earned 10 points before an impressive recovery from 14th to fourth on Sunday added another 13. Cairoli consequently reaches 150 points and moves two ahead of Nicki Thiim.
Thiim drops from third after scoring only eight points across the Sachsenring races. His eighth place on Saturday provided the entirety of his weekend total, while contact with Gounon ended his Sunday race. He now sits sixth on 147, 50 behind Preining and still mathematically within range with one round remaining.
Dörr victory launches McLaren driver into seventh
Dörr made the largest championship gain outside the leading title contenders. He entered Round 7 eighth on 92 points but scored six with 10th place on Saturday before producing one of the standout performances of the season in Race 2.
The Dörr Motorsport driver mastered Sunday’s difficult conditions to claim victory, surviving tyre-strategy uncertainty and late Safety Car restarts to take the full 25 points. His 31-point weekend lifts him to 123 and seventh in the Drivers’ Championship.
Arjun Maini consequently drops to eighth despite adding nine points at the Sachsenring. The HRT Ford Racing driver leaves with 117, while Gounon climbs from 11th to ninth on 102 after finishing second in Race 1 and collecting bonus points in both qualifying sessions.
Thierry Vermeulen completes the top 10 on 99 points. Ricardo Feller sits only one behind after his Race 2 podium helped him climb from 12th to 11th, while Luca Engstler drops from ninth to 12th on 96.
Bortolotti climbs to 14th as appeal remains unresolved
Bortolotti produced a solid points haul at the Sachsenring despite another difficult weekend for Lamborghini. He finished seventh in Race 1 to collect nine points before his Sunday qualifying time was disqualified for excessive turbo overboost.
After starting Race 2 from the rear, he recovered to 13th and added another three points. Bortolotti therefore moves from 59 to 71 points and climbs from 15th to 14th in the provisional championship.
However, his position remains the most directly affected by the unresolved Round 5 appeal. Bortolotti originally won Oschersleben Race 2 and collected 25 points before the DMSB disqualified the TGI Team by GRT Lamborghini following post-race technical checks relating to its wheel bearings.
The amended Oschersleben standings removed those 25 points and promoted every classified driver behind him. GRT subsequently appealed, meaning Bortolotti’s current 71-point total — and the additional points awarded to several rivals — remain provisional.
2026 DTM Drivers’ Standings after Round 7 at the Sachsenring
DTM’s current championship table continues to reflect the provisionally amended Oschersleben classification.
- Thomas Preining — Manthey — 197 points
- Maro Engel — Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol — 174 points
- Marco Wittmann — Schubert Motorsport — 173 points
- Lucas Auer — Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf — 152 points
- Matteo Cairoli — Emil Frey Racing — 150 points
- Nicki Thiim — Comtoyou Racing — 147 points
- Ben Dörr — Dörr Motorsport — 123 points
- Arjun Maini — HRT Ford Racing — 117 points
- Jules Gounon — Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER — 102 points
- Thierry Vermeulen — Emil Frey Racing — 99 points
- Ricardo Feller — Manthey — 98 points
- Luca Engstler — Red Bull Team ABT — 96 points
- Kelvin van der Linde — Schubert Motorsport — 86 points
- Mirko Bortolotti — TGI Team by GRT — 71 points
- Finn Wiebelhaus — HRT Ford Racing — 67 points
- Bastian Buus — Land-Motorsport — 50 points
- Tom Kalender — Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf — 46 points
- Marco Mapelli — Red Bull Team ABT — 43 points
- Timo Glock — Dörr Motorsport — 30 points
- Maximilian Paul — TGI Team by GRT — 11 points
- Nicolas Baert — Comtoyou Racing — 8 points
- Christian Engelhart — TGI Team by GRT — 2 points
- Simon Connor Primm — Seyffarth Motorsport — 0 points
Manthey overturns Winward advantage
The Sachsenring also changed the Teams’ Championship lead. Winward Racing entered Round 7 four points ahead of Manthey after the Porsche squad had dramatically reduced the gap during the Nürburgring weekend.
Preining and Feller combined to deliver another substantial haul for Manthey. Preining’s two podiums formed the foundation, while Feller added points in both races and finished third on Sunday. Manthey consequently gains 55 points and moves from 227 to 282.
Winward Racing adds 31 through Engel and Gounon but cannot match its championship rival. The Mercedes-AMG operation rises from 231 to 262 and drops to second, leaving Manthey with a provisional 20-point advantage heading to Hockenheim.
Schubert strengthens third with Wittmann victory
Wittmann’s victory and Van der Linde’s fourth place in Race 1 allowed Schubert Motorsport to add another major haul. The team collects 48 points across the weekend and increases its total from 201 to 249.
Schubert therefore remains third, but it has closed to within 13 points of Winward while also opening a 13-point advantage over Emil Frey Racing. Cairoli and Vermeulen combine to take the Ferrari team from 197 to 236.
Landgraf Motorsport remains fifth on 194 ahead of HRT Ford Racing on 173. Dörr Motorsport’s Sunday victory helps it climb past Comtoyou Racing into seventh, with the McLaren squad now on 149 compared with Comtoyou’s 145.
2026 DTM Teams’ Standings after Round 7 at the Sachsenring
The Teams’ Championship now gives Manthey a provisional 20-point advantage over Winward Racing, while Schubert and Emil Frey remain separated by only 13.
- Manthey — 282 points
- Winward Racing — 262 points
- Schubert Motorsport — 249 points
- Emil Frey Racing — 236 points
- Landgraf Motorsport — 194 points
- HRT Ford Racing — 173 points
- Dörr Motorsport — 149 points
- Comtoyou Racing — 145 points
- ABT Sportsline — 134 points
- GRT Grasser-Racing-Team — 84 points
- Land Motorsport — 50 points
- Seyffarth Motorsport — 0 points
Mercedes-AMG retains Manufacturers’ Championship lead
Mercedes-AMG continues to control the Manufacturers’ Championship despite Manthey taking over at the top of the teams’ classification. The marque adds 45 points across the Sachsenring weekend to increase its provisional total from 328 to 373.
Porsche makes an even larger gain through Preining, Feller and Buus. The manufacturer adds 56 points and moves from 249 to 305, cutting Mercedes-AMG’s advantage to 68 points with one round remaining.
The fight for third also changes significantly. BMW benefits from Wittmann’s victory and Van der Linde’s Race 1 result to add 50 points, climbing from 206 to 256. That moves BMW ahead of Ferrari, which gains 39 points and reaches 253, leaving only three between the two manufacturers.
Lamborghini remains fifth on 215 ahead of Ford on 191, while Aston Martin sits seventh on 173. McLaren’s strong Sunday, led by Dörr’s victory, moves the marque to 167.
2026 DTM Manufacturers’ Standings after Round 7 at the Sachsenring
- Mercedes-AMG — 373 points
- Porsche — 305 points
- BMW — 256 points
- Ferrari — 253 points
- Lamborghini — 215 points
- Ford — 191 points
- Aston Martin — 173 points
- McLaren — 167 points
Six drivers remain provisionally in the title fight
The Sachsenring has left six drivers mathematically capable of taking the championship into the Hockenheim finale under the current standings. Preining leads on 197, followed by Engel on 174 and Wittmann on 173, while Auer, Cairoli and Thiim remain within the maximum 56 points available across the final two races and qualifying sessions.
However, the precise gaps cannot yet be considered final. The current standings include the amended result from Oschersleben Race 2, where Bortolotti’s disqualification promoted Engel, Preining, Wittmann and several others while removing the Lamborghini driver’s victory points.
A successful GRT appeal would therefore do more than simply restore Bortolotti’s 25 points. It would also reverse the additional points awarded to the drivers promoted behind him and alter the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ Championships.
Until that process is resolved, Preining heads towards Hockenheim as the provisional championship leader with Engel and Wittmann immediately behind — but the points picture established after seven rounds remains subject to one final off-track decision.
