DTM will increase the space between pit stop stations at the Norisring as the championship looks to reduce the risk of further pit-lane incidents following the dangerous scenes at Zandvoort.
Organisers will extend the temporary pit structure and position the pit stop gantries further apart for the 2026 DTM Norisring round. The distance between each station will increase from 10 to 13 metres at one of the narrowest pit lanes on the DTM calendar.
The Norisring will also retain the 40km/h pit-lane speed limit introduced last year. The championship usually imposes a 50km/h limit at its other circuits.
The changes follow several concerning incidents during the Zandvoort round, where cars ran alongside one another in the confined pit lane and came dangerously close to mechanics and equipment.
Speaking to Motorsport-Total, Winward team manager Steve Buschmann, GRT team principal Gottfried Grasser, HRT team principal Ulrich Fritz and Mercedes driver Maro Engel discussed the revised layout and the DTM’s controversial unsafe-release regulation.
Additional space makes a ‘huge difference’
The three additional metres should give drivers more room to leave their pit stop positions before reaching the next team’s working area.
Buschmann welcomed the adjustment and believes it will significantly reduce the danger facing mechanics during the mandatory pit stops.
“It makes a huge difference whether you have 10 metres or 13 metres of space. It helps immensely. The risk to the guys out there is significantly lower as a result.”
The wider layout should also reduce the likelihood of two cars travelling side by side between neighbouring pit stop stations.
“From one gantry to the next, you always gain three metres,” Buschmann added. “That also makes the likelihood of running side by side significantly lower.”
The DTM plans to introduce the same measures at Zandvoort in 2027, reducing the pit-lane speed limit from 50 to 40km/h and creating more space between the individual stations.
DTM retains controversial unsafe-release rule
Although the championship has changed the physical layout of the Norisring pit lane, it has not altered its unsafe-release regulation.
Under the DTM’s interpretation, a car travelling along the fast lane does not automatically hold priority over a vehicle leaving the working lane. When the departing car sits fully ahead at the point of release, the fast-lane driver must react accordingly.
The rule attracted criticism following the Zandvoort weekend, particularly after officials penalised Mirko Bortolotti in connection with two pit-lane collisions.
Grasser supports the additional spacing but continues to oppose the championship’s approach to unsafe releases.
“The further apart the gantries are, the safer it becomes, especially with the current regulation,” he said.
“However, if we had a normal regulation, as in every other racing series, where the fast lane has priority, we could save ourselves from moving them apart.”
The DTM has nevertheless chosen to retain the rule for the Norisring weekend.
Some teams must stop away from their garages
The expanded layout will create a logistical disadvantage for teams positioned near the beginning and end of the pit lane.
Winward received the second garage through the DTM’s pit allocation process. The team will now conduct its tyre changes approximately five metres away from its garage because the wider spacing prevents every station from remaining directly outside its corresponding working area.
Organisers have used some of the gaps between teams for operational purposes, but they could not completely eliminate the offset.
The regulations should limit the effect on teams because mechanics can begin preparing for a stop once their car has left the opening sector. That gives them time to move themselves and their equipment into the correct position before the driver reaches the pit lane.
DTM Norisring strategy could reduce congestion
Fritz believes the Norisring’s strategic characteristics could also prevent the level of congestion seen at Zandvoort.
High tyre degradation encouraged most teams to stop within a similar window during the Dutch round. The Norisring generally produces less degradation, allowing teams to spread their mandatory stops across more laps as they prioritise track position on the narrow street circuit.
“At the Norisring, the advantage is that the pit stop window is spread proportionally across several laps,” Fritz explained.
He also supported any practical measure that could improve safety, even though the unsafe-release regulation remains unchanged.
“Everything that additionally improves safety is welcome, and we absolutely have to do it, whatever it is.”
Fritz argued that teams must understand how officials will apply the rule and accept that it may benefit them on one occasion and disadvantage them on another.
Engel backs existing regulation
Engel also supported the additional safety measures but did not join calls for the DTM to rewrite its unsafe-release rule.
The championship contender noted that the regulation has existed for several seasons and dates back to the DTM’s Class One era.
“The rule has existed for many years and dates back to the Class One era,” Engel said. “You can always discuss ideas and possibilities, but I believe that, broadly speaking, we have a good rule in the DTM.”
The Norisring’s tight pit lane will still leave little room for mistakes, particularly if several drivers stop simultaneously.
However, the combination of a lower speed limit, wider spacing and a potentially broader strategic window should reduce the danger to mechanics and drivers during the 2026 event.
