Maro Engel looked set to convert pole position into victory in Race 1 of the 2026 DTM season at the Red Bull Ring, but a costly issue during the pitstop phase denied him the win.
The Mercedes-AMG driver led the opening stages with authority and controlled the pace from the front before the race slipped away during the decisive moment.
Strong start and early control from pole
Engel launched cleanly from pole and immediately established himself at the front of the field. He defended his position into Turn 1 and built a small but controlled gap over Thomas Preining, who applied pressure from behind.
While the early safety car, triggered by contact between Ben Dörr and Bastian Buus, briefly neutralised the race, Engel managed the restart effectively and maintained his advantage. He set the early pace and kept the race under control during the opening stint.
“Pretty perfect day for us, except the pitstop, but these things happen, still a strong start for us, and as I said before, the team has given me mega pitstops over the years, so we win and lose together. Today it’s a bit of a disappointing one, a tough one, but we will dust ourselves off and go again tomorrow.”
Pit stop proves decisive
The race turned during the pit stop phase, where Engel lost crucial time due to an issue with the wheel gun or wheel nut. That delay allowed Preining to jump ahead and take control of the race.
Before the stop, Engel had managed the race confidently and executed a solid strategy.
“I think we had things under control, as much as you can have it under control in DTM, we had a small gap and a good strategy, but obviously, like I said, these things happen.”
Once he dropped behind, Engel struggled to regain track position in a field where overtaking remained difficult.
Limited opportunities in the second half
After the pit stop setback, Engel pushed to recover positions but found few opportunities to move forward. The tight nature of the DTM field and the importance of track position limited his chances.
“In the second half there wasn’t really much I could do, I tried my best obviously to move forward.”
Despite the setback, Engel capitalised on late drama ahead. Jules Gounon dropped out of podium contention with a technical issue in the closing stages, which allowed Engel to move back into third.
“Unlucky for Jules, the outcome, so yeah, some learnings to take into tomorrow and to improve, and then hopefully another exciting race tomorrow.”
A podium despite missed opportunity
Although Engel missed out on victory, he still secured a podium finish after a strong overall performance during Race 1 of the DTM Red Bull Ring. His pace in the opening stint and control from pole position underlined the competitiveness of the Mercedes-AMG package.
However, the race ultimately highlighted how decisive execution can be in the DTM, where even small issues can determine the outcome.
Engel now heads into the remainder of the weekend looking to build on the positives and convert pace into results.
