DTM Nürburgring: Championship battle intensifies as DTM heads in to Round 5

Written by Brianna Gunawan

This weekend, the 2025 DTM championship continues with Round 5 at the legendary Nürburgring, where the battle for the top five in the standings is tighter than ever. Championship leader Lucas Auer in the #22 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo for Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf is under pressure, holding a narrow lead over both Thomas Preining and Jordan Pepper, who are tied on 102 points.

Lucas Auer leads the standings, but Thomas Preining, Jordan Pepper, Jack Aitken, and Maro Engel are close behind with just 8 points separating the top 5.

Preining, piloting the #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R for Manthey EMA, arrives at the Nürburgring as the favourite in “Grello.” Based on his consistent pace and improving form, Preining looks like a strong contender to challenge Auer for the top spot this weekend.

Jordan Pepper in the #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 is also part of this high-stakes title battle, joined by Jack Aitken, who has shown strong consistency in the #14 Ferrari 296 GT3 for Emil Frey Racing, currently sitting fourth in the standings. Maro Engel, driving the #24 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Team Windward Racing, is also climbing the leaderboard and currently holds fifth place.

Adding more excitement to the grid, Arjun Maini will compete in the #36 Ford Mustang GT3 for HRT Performance, representing a new American entry. After an impressive fifth-place finish at Norisring, Maini could be a dark horse to watch at the Green Hell.

The fifth round of the 2025 DTM season will take place at the Nürburgring on August 9–10, qualifying for race 1 on Saturday is at 08:35 local time with the race starting at 12:30. Qualifying on Sunday is at 08:05 with the race again scheduled for 12:30 local time.