Ricardo Feller delivered a flawless drive to claim his third career DTM victory and the first-ever series win for Land-Motorsport, guiding the #29 Audi R8 LMS GT3 to the top step of the podium at the Red Bull Ring. The Swiss driver beat early race leader Thierry Vermeulen, while Lucas Auer came home third to snatch back the championship lead with just one round remaining.

Feller takes the fight to Vermeulen

At lights out, Vermeulen in the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 held the lead into Turn 1, with Feller slotting into second and Jack Aitken in the sister #14 Ferrari running third. Thomas Preining’s title hopes suffered an early blow when the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche picked up a puncture, dropping him to the rear of the field.

Disaster then struck Aitken, who also fell victim to a puncture, handing third to Fabio Scherer in the #64 HRT Ford Mustang GT3. But Scherer’s charge was short-lived as a technical issue forced him into retirement.

Pit stop perfection powers Land-Motorsport

As the first pit window approached, Vermeulen and Feller had edged clear of the chasing pack by over five seconds. Running nose-to-tail, the Audi and Ferrari both delayed their stops until the final moments of the window. A small mistake by Vermeulen on lap 15 allowed Feller to pounce, diving past at the final corner to seize the lead.

The decisive moment came in the pits: Land-Motorsport’s rapid service gave Feller a crucial 2.1-second buffer over Vermeulen. Behind them, Auer lost out to Arjun Maini in the #36 HRT Mustang, but regained the place when Maini’s second stop cost him over nine seconds and with it a potential podium. That promoted Auer to third, though the Austrian was pushed hard by Maro Engel in the #24 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG.

Auer retakes lead in title fight

Further back, Saturday’s winner and championship leader René Rast endured a nightmare race. A penalty for crossing the pit exit line dropped the #33 Schubert Motorsport BMW to 13th, dealing a heavy blow to his title challenge.

Up front, Feller controlled the pace to the chequered flag, securing Land-Motorsport’s maiden DTM triumph. Vermeulen crossed the line second after an impressive drive, with Auer completing the podium to reclaim the championship lead on 171 points. Jordan Pepper sits second on 164, with Rast slipping to third on 160. With at least nine drivers still in mathematical contention, the stage is set for a dramatic title decider at Hockenheim.

DTM Red Bull Ring – Race 2 Top 10

  1. Ricardo Feller (#29 Land Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3) – 56m50.100s
  2. Thierry Vermeulen (#69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3) – +1.748s
  3. Lucas Auer (#22 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3) – +7.403s
  4. Maro Engel (#24 Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3) – +8.131s
  5. Arjun Maini (#36 HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3) – +8.730s
  6. Jordan Pepper (#63 TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT Lamborghini Huracán GT3) – +11.920s
  7. Ayhancan Güven (#90 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R) – +13.154s
  8. Jules Gounon (#48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG GT3) – +13.893s
  9. Mirko Bortolotti (#1 Abt Sportsline Lamborghini Huracán GT3) – +16.676s
  10. Luca Engstler (#19 TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT Lamborghini Huracán GT3) – +17.962s

Full results

Title fight wide open

With just one round remaining at Hockenheim, the championship fight is finely balanced. Lucas Auer leads the way on 171 points, but with Jordan Pepper, René Rast, Maro Engel, Ayhancan Güven and several others still within striking distance, the title is wide open. With 56 points up for grabs, nine drivers remain in mathematical contention, setting the stage for a dramatic DTM season finale next month.

DTM Standings (after Race 2 – Red Bull Ring)

  1. Lucas Auer (#22 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3) – 171 pts
  2. Jordan Pepper (#63 TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT Lamborghini Huracán GT3) – 164 pts
  3. René Rast (#33 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3) – 160 pts
  4. Maro Engel (#24 Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3) – 155 pts
  5. Ayhancan Güven (#90 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R) – 154 pts
  6. Jack Aitken (#14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3) – 150 pts
  7. Marco Wittmann (#11 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3) – 150 pts
  8. Thomas Preining (#91 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R) – 146 pts
  9. Jules Gounon (#48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG GT3) – 142 pts
  10. Thierry Vermeulen (#69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3) – 98 pts

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