DTM Hockenheimring: Gilles Magnus Takes Surprise Pole in Qualifying 2 as Title Contenders Struggle

Comtoyou Racing’s Gilles Magnus mastered a tricky, mostly dry Hockenheimring to take pole position for the final race of the 2025 DTM season, while the championship contenders were left scattered throughout the field.

Qualifying 2 at the Hockenheimring delivered the latest twist in a dramatic DTM title battle. Gilles Magnus surprised everyone by putting his Aston Martin Vantage GT3 on pole with a 1m36.259sec lap — a result that could have major implications for Sunday’s championship showdown.

The Belgian non-title contender beat Ayhancan Güven’s Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R by 0.186sec, making the Turkish pilot the only contender to score bonus points in Qualifying 2. Ben Green, meanwhile, secured third in the Emil Frey Ferrari 296 GT3. Behind them, the other title hopefuls struggled to find quick laps on a circuit that was mostly dry but still featured a few damp patches.

Jack Aitken took fourth ahead of René Rast, while TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT’s Jordan Pepper and Mercedes-AMG’s Lucas Auer — the championship leader with 175 points and the model of consistency throughout 2025 — could only manage eighth and ninth respectively. Thomas Preining’s title defence suffered a setback after his Race 1 victory, as the Manthey EMA driver qualified only 11th. Maro Engel, seven points behind Auer in the standings, could do no better than 15th in his Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing car, leaving him with a steep climb ahead in Sunday’s decider.