Marco Wittmann claimed his first DTM victory in two years in a dramatic second race at the Nürburgring, taking advantage of a penalty for pole-sitter Jules Gounon and a late charge from Tom Kalender to lead home, with Thomas Preining taking third place.
The #11 Schubert Motorsport BMW driver inherited the lead after Gounon was penalised for speeding in the pitlane, while Kalender secured his first DTM podium in the #84 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf after a thrilling final-lap fight with Thomas Preining.
Preining’s third-place finish means he closes the championship gap to Maro Engel to just one point, after Engel was eliminated in an opening-lap incident.
Gounon made the perfect getaway from pole in the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER, with Ben Dörr holding second in the #25 Dörr Motorsport McLaren despite early pressure from race one winner Matteo Cairoli in the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari.
Behind the leading group, however, Engel’s race came to an abrupt end at Turn 2.
The championship leader was attempting to give Nicki Thiim’s Aston Martin room when he made contact with Lucas Auer’s Mercedes-AMG. Auer spun into the path of Kelvin van der Linde, who had nowhere to go, with all three cars caught up in the incident. Engel suffered front-end damage and a punctured tyre, eventually returning to the pits before his Mercedes-AMG was retired.
At the pitstops, Dörr’s challenge for victory unravelled in dramatic fashion. The McLaren was released from its stop before the front-right wheel nut had been properly secured, forcing Dörr to stop at the outside of Turn 1. Cairoli also lost valuable time when one of his wheels refused to come off cleanly during his stop.
The resulting safety car period bunched the field together, with Gounon leading Wittmann, Preining, Thiim and Maini after the pit window had closed. Gounon had produced an impressive 6.7-second stop to retain the lead, but his advantage disappeared when he was placed under investigation for speeding in the pitlane.
The subsequent penalty proved decisive. Serving his penalty shortly after the safety car period ended, Gounon inevitably dropping down the order and eventually finishing 14th, turning what looked set to be a commanding victory into a disappointing result.
Wittmann, meanwhile, survived his own investigation for an alleged yellow-flag infringement and inherited the lead.
The battle behind him intensified as Kalender emerged as a serious threat in the closing stages. The Mercedes-AMG driver had fresher tyres and began applying increasing pressure to Preining, knowing that a second-place finish would also have major championship implications for the Austrian. Preining, driving the #91 Manthey Porsche, needed to hold Kalender behind him to take the championship lead from Engel.
With the race entering its final lap, Kalender finally found a way through. He pressured the 2023 DTM champion through Turns 1, 2 and 3 before emerging ahead to claim second place. The German then turned his attention to Wittmann, but there was simply not enough time left to mount a serious challenge for the win. Wittmann kept his BMW ahead to secure his first DTM victory since 2024, while Kalender celebrated his maiden podium in the series.
Preining completed the podium and leaves the Nürburgring just one point behind Engel in the championship standings, having narrowly missed out on the opportunity to take the lead. At the front, Wittmann’s experienced drive ensured that a race that initially appeared destined to belong to Gounon instead ended with a popular victory for the Schubert BMW driver.
