Written by Brianna Gunawan

Jack Aitken takes race win ahead of team-mate Ben Green as the championship lead changes hands

Jack Aitken claimed victory in Race 1 of the DTM at the Nürburgring after an intense late-race battle, giving Emil Frey Racing a Ferrari one-two finish. The #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 driver crossed the line just 0.684 seconds ahead of team-mate Ben Green in the #10 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, securing his second win of the 2025 DTM season.

The race’s turning point came after the pit window closed, when Aitken fought to defend his lead from Ricardo Feller in the #29 Audi Sport Team Land-Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. Ricardo Feller briefly edged ahead, but the fight quickly reignited as Aitken regained the lead and Ben Green followed through into second, relegating Feller to third.

Ben Green delivered one of his strongest performances to date. Starting fourth on the grid, he held off fierce pressure from Marco Wittmann (#11 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3) and Ricardo Feller in the closing laps to claim his first-ever DTM podium. Ricardo Feller, despite showing strong pace early in the race, had to settle for third place.

The result also shakes up the championship standings. Jack Aitken now leads the title race, moving past Lucas Auer in the #22 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo by just ten points. Jordan Pepper remains in third place overall.

The race began with chaos at Turn 1. Thierry Vermeulen started from second in the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 but was spun by Maro Engel (#24 Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) and then hit again by Jules Gounon (#48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo). Vermeulen dropped to last before recovering to P15 at the chequered flag. Gounon retired from the race due to heavy damage, joining Mirko Bortolotti, Ayhancan Güven and Morris Schuring on the list of early retirements after the incident, which brought out a red flag. Engel was handed a three-minute penalty for causing a collision.

Race 1 – Top 10

  1. Jack Aitken (#14 Emil Frey Racing – Ferrari 296 GT3) – 39 laps
  2. Ben Green (#10 Emil Frey Racing – Ferrari 296 GT3) – +0.684s
  3. Ricardo Feller (#29 Land-Motorsport – Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II) – +3.097s
  4. Jordan Pepper (#63 TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT – Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2) – +3.508s
  5. Marco Wittmann (#11 Schubert Motorsport – BMW M4 GT3 Evo) – +4.726s
  6. Lucas Auer (#22 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf – Mercedes-AMG GT3) – +7.791s
  7. Luca Engstler (#19 TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT – Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2) – +9.656s
  8. Ben Dörr (#25 Dörr Motorsport – McLaren 720S GT3 Evo) – +10.465s
  9. Thomas Preining (#91 Manthey EMA – Porsche 911 GT3 R) – +10.740s
  10. Timo Glock (#16 Dörr Motorsport – McLaren 720S GT3 Evo) – +16.277s

Full results

DTM NÜRBURGRING | LATEST | DTM EXPLAINER | ENTRY LIST | PREVIEW | UP CLOSE WITH 2026 PORSCHE | PRACTICE REPORT | QUALIFYING 1 REPORT | RACE 1 REPORT | RACE 1 DATA ANALYSIS | QUALIFYING 2 REPORT | RACE 2 REPORT | RACE 2 DATA ANALYSIS