Thomas Preining claimed his second DTM victory of the season after controlling Race 1 at Oschersleben from start to finish. The Manthey driver crossed the line ahead of Luca Engstler in the #130 Abt Sportsline Lamborghini Temerario GT3, while Maro Engel in the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3 completed the podium in third place.
Strong Start for Preining
Preining in the #91 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R made a perfect start from pole position and kept the lead into Turn 1. Behind him, Maro Engel in the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3 got away well and moved into second after passing Luca Engstler in the #130 Abt Sportsline Lamborghini Temerario GT3 with slight contact between the two cars.
Several drivers ran wide at Turn 3 during the opening lap. Jules Gounon in the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG GT3 was pushed wide after contact with Ben Dörr in the #25 Dörr Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3, while Dörr suffered a puncture and was forced to pit.
Further back, Kelvin van der Linde in the #3 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 and Marco Wittmann in the #11 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 battled for eighth place. Van der Linde eventually completed the move to take the position.
At the front, Preining remained in control ahead of Engel, Engstler, Lucas Auer in the #22 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Mirko Bortolotti in the #63 TGI Team by GRT Lamborghini Temerario GT3.
Engel Falls Behind Engstler After Pitstop
Nicolas Baert in the #8 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 was the first driver to make an early pit stop, followed shortly by Arjun Maini in the #36 HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3, Ricardo Feller in the #90 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R and Matteo Cairoli in the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3.
Meanwhile, the #84 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Tom Kalender came under investigation for speeding in the pit lane, while Finn Wiebelhaus in the #64 HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3 retired with a technical issue. Preining stayed in the lead. However, Engel lost second place to Engstler during the pit stop cycle and rejoined in third.
Battles Continue Until the Finish
A collision between Bastian Buus in the #29 Land-Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R and Marco Mapelli in the #10 Abt Sportsline Lamborghini Temerario GT3 took place shortly after the pit stops. Mapelli had just exited the pit lane when Buus ran wide and made contact, forcing the Lamborghini off the track.
Jules Gounon later retired after his car suffered too much damage from the earlier incident.
With the race entering its final stages, Preining continued to lead ahead of Engstler and Engel. Auer remained fourth, while Bortolotti completed the top five.
Auer also came under pressure from Bortolotti in the fight for fourth place, but the Mercedes-AMG driver defended his position.
On the final lap, Engstler closed the gap to Preining but was unable to launch an attack.
Preining Claims Victory
Preining crossed the finish line to secure his second DTM victory of the season. Engstler finished second, with Engel taking third place.
The result also changed the drivers’ championship standings. Engel moved to the top of the standings with 125 points, ahead of Lucas Auer in the #22 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3 in second and Nicki Thiim in the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 in third.
DTM action at Oschersleben continues on Sunday, 26 July, with Qualifying 2 scheduled for 09:25 local time, followed by Race 2 at 13:30.
DTM NORISRING | ENTRY LIST | QUALIFYING 1 REPORT | RACE 1 REPORT
