DTM Lausitzring: Cairoli claims Race 2 win and takes championship lead

Matteo Cairoli took victory in Race 2 of the DTM at the Lausitzring after moving into the lead during the pit stop phase and holding off Nicki Thiim in the closing laps. With his second win of 2026, the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 driver moves into the championship lead.

Nicki Thiim in the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 finished second, just 0.413 seconds behind the winner, while Finn Wiebelhaus in the #64 HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3 secured third place and his first DTM podium.

Strong Start for Maini

Arjun Maini in the #36 HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3 started from pole position and kept the lead at the start. Cairoli remained close behind in second, followed by Thiim and Wiebelhaus.

While the leading group got through the opening corners without incident, there was much more action behind them as several drivers fought for position in the midfield. The busy opening lap saw drivers running side-by-side through multiple corners, with some cars forced off line and onto the run-off areas. Thomas Preining in the #91 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R lost several positions during the opening lap, dropping from sixth to eleventh.

The Safety Car was deployed on lap two after Maximilian Paul in the #19 TGI Team by GRT Lamborghini Temerario GT3 lost a large section of rear bodywork on the start-finish straight.

Battles and Pit Stop Cycle

After the restart, Preining became involved in a close battle with Ben Dörr in the #25 Dörr Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3. The Porsche driver made several attempts to pass and made contact with the rear of Dörr’s McLaren while fighting for position.

Wiebelhaus was among the first drivers to make his pit stop, together with Bastian Buus in the #29 Land-Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R, Kelvin van der Linde in the #3 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, Lucas Auer in the #22 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3, Paul, Jules Gounon in the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG GT3, Marco Mapelli in the #10 Abt Sportsline Lamborghini Temerario GT3 and Nicolas Baert in the #8 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3.

Cairoli gained an advantage over Maini during the first pit stop cycle. Maini slightly overshot his pit box, which slowed the tyre change and allowed the Ferrari driver to take the lead once the stops were completed.

Behind the leaders, Kelvin van der Linde in the #3 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 Evo and Bastian Buus in the #29 Land-Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R were involved in a close battle as they fought for position.

There was also a four-car fight for 12th place involving Lucas Auer in the #22 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, Ben Dörr in the #25 Dörr Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, Ricardo Feller in the #90 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R and Jules Gounon in the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Auer, Dörr and Feller ran side-by-side at one stage before the battle eventually settled down.

Problems for Mercedes-AMG

Maro Engel in the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Gounon both encountered problems during their pit stops after a wheel was not secured correctly.

Both drivers were forced to serve a penalty lap. Gounon later retired from the race, while Engel recovered to finish inside the top ten.

Maini attempted to undercut Cairoli during the second round of pit stops, but the gap between the two drivers was too large for the strategy to work.

Thiim stayed out longer during the second stint and the strategy helped him move ahead of Maini into second place after the final pit stops.

Final Laps

In the closing stages, Wiebelhaus began catching Maini. The two HRT Ford Racing drivers battled cleanly for position before Wiebelhaus made the move for third place with two laps remaining.

At the front, Thiim continued to reduce the gap to Cairoli throughout the final stint. The Aston Martin driver stayed close to the Ferrari until the chequered flag but was unable to find a way through.

Cairoli crossed the line 0.413 seconds ahead of Thiim to secure his second victory of the season.

Thiim finished second, while Wiebelhaus secured third place in the #64 HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3 to claim his first DTM podium. Pole sitter Arjun Maini finished fourth in the second HRT Ford Racing Mustang, with Mirko Bortolotti completing the top five aboard the #63 TGI Team by GRT Lamborghini Temerario GT3.

The result moves Cairoli to the top of the DTM standings with 78 points, one point ahead of Lucas Auer on 77.

The DTM field returns to action in two weeks’ time, with two races on the streets of the Norisring in downtown Nuremberg from 3-5 July.