DTM | 2026 Zandvoort | Qualifying 2 | Van der Linde bounces back to claim pole in Zandvoort

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Less than 24 hours after a difficult DTM Saturday, Kelvin van der Linde delivered the perfect response in Qualifying 2 at Zandvoort. The Schubert BMW driver had suffered technical problems throughout the weekend and retired from Saturday’s race, but he turned things around in style on Sunday morning.

Van der Linde set the pace around the 4.259 km Dutch circuit with a 1:32.831, securing pole position for the fourth race of the 2026 DTM season. It was his second pole of the year after Spielberg, underlining the pace he has shown since returning to the championship, despite the setbacks that have followed him in the opening rounds.

With overtaking difficult at Zandvoort and tyre management set to play a key role, the result placed Van der Linde in a strong position for Race 2. He also carried a potential advantage after saving a set of tyres on Saturday, which could prove important with two pit stops scheduled for Sunday’s race.

Vermeulen secures another front-row start

Thierry Vermeulen continued Emil Frey Racing’s strong weekend by taking second place. The Dutch driver missed pole by 0.177s, but still secured another front-row start in front of his home crowd.

Vermeulen’s result kept Ferrari near the front after Matteo Cairoli had taken pole and victory on Saturday. Cairoli could not repeat that qualifying performance on Sunday morning and had to settle for sixth, although he remained well placed to fight from the third row.

The margins once again showed how close the DTM field was at Qualifying 2 in Zandvoort. Just over one second covered Luca Engstler in third and Timo Glock in 19th, leaving little room for mistakes across the order.

Lamborghini makes a major step forward

Engstler produced one of the standout performances of the session as he placed the ABT Sportsline Lamborghini Temerario GT3 third on the grid. His 1:33.171 gave ABT its best qualifying result of the season so far and marked a clear step forward for the new Lamborghini package.

The brand’s progress was underlined by Mirko Bortolotti, who qualified fourth for Grasser Racing Team with a 1:33.205. With both Lamborghini drivers inside the top four, the Temerario GT3 moved firmly into contention after a more difficult start to the season.

Engstler also had a tense moment in the pit lane when he nearly crossed paths with Lucas Auer while leaving the garage. However, he reacted in time to avoid contact, and ABT escaped with only a warning for an unsafe release.

Dörr continues his consistent weekend

Ben Dörr completed in the top five for Dörr Motorsport, continuing his impressive run at Zandvoort. The McLaren driver had already qualified fifth and finished fifth on Saturday, and he once again put himself in a strong position for the race.

Behind him, Cairoli took sixth as the best of the Emil Frey Ferrari drivers, while Thomas Preining followed in seventh as the leading Porsche. Championship leader Auer qualified eighth and ended the session as the best Mercedes-AMG driver, with Nicki Thiim ninth for Comtoyou Racing in the Aston Martin.

The Ford Mustang GT3 Evo struggled again despite a Balance of Performance adjustment ahead of the session. Arjun Maini was the best of the HRT Ford drivers in 18th, while Finn Wiebelhaus ended the session 21st and last.

There was also late frustration for Bastian Buus after Saturday’s race. The Land Motorsport rookie had originally finished fourth, but he was later disqualified when his Porsche was found to be 1.5 kg underweight during post-race checks.

After a DTM weekend marked by frustration, Van der Linde’s pole position in Qualifying 2 gave him the ideal chance to reset his Zandvoort round. With Vermeulen alongside him and several brands close behind, Race 2 was set up for another tense DTM battle.