Marco Wittmann kept his hopes of securing the 2026 DTM championship alive with a third-place finish in Race 1 at the Hockenheimring. The Schubert Motorsport driver fought his way through the field in a chaotic race to finish ahead of championship leader Thomas Preining, reducing the gap to 20 points ahead of Sunday’s season finale. Saturday’s race delivered plenty of drama, beginning with a heavy collision between polesitter Luca Engstler and eventual race winner Lucas Auer, which triggered a red flag. Maro Engel later lost the lead following a costly pit stop, allowing Auer to claim his first victory of the season ahead of Mirko Bortolotti.
Wittmann capitalised on the incidents and gained several positions to secure the final podium spot. A late battle with Engel briefly threatened his result, but race control instructed the Mercedes-AMG driver to return the position after forcing Wittmann off the track. Meanwhile, Preining recovered from a difficult opening lap to finish fifth, maintaining his championship lead. With 28 points still available in Sunday’s final qualifying session and race, Wittmann remains his closest challenger, while Engel also retains a mathematical chance of winning the title.
Speaking at the post-race press conference, attended by Pit Debrief, Wittmann reflected on his recovery drive, the challenges facing BMW and his approach to the championship decider.
Wittmann reflects on recovery at DTM Race 1 at the Hockenheimring and championship battle
Despite starting the race behind his main championship rivals, Wittmann made significant progress during the opening stages. By the time the red flag interrupted proceedings, the BMW driver had already climbed to sixth place. He continued his charge after the restart and eventually secured third, demonstrating how quickly the championship situation can change.
“At the end, we had a good start, a good opening lap. So basically, at the red flag, we were already in P6. And from there, we made another couple of positions, and at the end, we finished P3. It just shows how quickly it can go. After Quali, we were not really in a strong position, considering that Maro [Engel] and Thomas [Preining] were ahead of us. But then suddenly in lap one, the picture was different already. So it can change so quickly.”
The two-time DTM champion acknowledged the unpredictable nature of racing at the Hockenheimring, emphasising the importance of remaining composed when incidents disrupt the running order. Although Wittmann achieved his main objective of finishing ahead of Preining, he recognised that his team must improve the BMW’s performance to challenge for victory in Sunday’s decisive race.
“And we know Hockenheim can always be very chaotic. You need to stay calm, head down. And I think we managed to do a good job. The main target for today was to finish in front of Thomas to keep the title fight alive. That’s what we did. And for tomorrow, I think we first of all need to improve our package. We were not the strongest car today. We couldn’t really follow the Mercedes and Mirko in the Lambo. And I think we need to improve our package for tomorrow. And then the target is to score ideally full points and see where the others finish.”
Tyre degradation presents a challenge ahead of Sunday’s DTM finale
Looking ahead to the final race of the 2026 season, Wittmann identified tyre degradation as one of the main areas Schubert Motorsport must address. Although his BMW showed competitive pace on fresh tyres, its performance deteriorated as the stint progressed, making it increasingly difficult to match the leading Mercedes-AMG and Lamborghini cars. However, Sunday’s race features a different strategy format, with two mandatory pit stops rather than Saturday’s single stop. The shorter stints could change how the tyres perform and influence the competitive order.
“Well, I mean, tomorrow also the format changes completely with two pit stops. So it’s quite different. Lucas [Auer] already described that we were all in a bit of different stages. And the same applied for myself. Like at the beginning on the fresh sets, we were pretty strong, and we could actually put pressure on the cars in front of us. But then the longer the stint went, the more degradation, the more drop we had. And this is something we need to find out. But on the other hand, as I said, tomorrow we have two pit stops. So the stint length is shorter. And it’s, again, a completely different format.”
With the championship still within reach, finding additional performance could prove crucial. The German needs to overcome Preining’s 20-point advantage while also keeping Engel behind in the standings.
Wittmann remains confident despite difficult qualifying conditions
Wittmann’s recovery drive during DTM Race 1 at the Hockenheimring once again highlighted his ability to fight through the field after a challenging qualifying session. Saturday morning’s mixed weather conditions proved particularly difficult for the BMW driver. The track remained wet enough to require rain tyres, but the changing conditions prevented him from extracting the performance needed to qualify closer to the front. Nevertheless, Wittmann entered the race confident that he could make progress, drawing on previous occasions when he had recovered from difficult starting positions to secure strong results.
“Well, I mean, this morning, to be honest, I think that the conditions were a worst-case scenario for us. Those mixed conditions, but still wet enough to not put on the slicks, doesn’t suit our car, you know. And again, I think it was for us the worst-case scenario. But I told my guys before we started the race, it’s not over. I told them, you know, we have won races from further back and it’s over when it’s over. And I think we proved today again that, you know, if you stay calm, try to not make any mistakes, it’s still possible. And who knows what comes tomorrow.”
Wittmann now heads into Sunday’s championship decider knowing that another strong recovery alone might not be enough. With Preining holding a substantial points advantage, the BMW driver will need both a competitive car and favourable results elsewhere to claim his third DTM title. However, after Saturday’s unpredictable race, Wittmann has already demonstrated that the championship picture can change in a matter of laps.
