Lucas Auer won DTM Race 1 at Hockenheimring in the #22 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3, taking his first victory of the 2026 season after a race that featured a red flag, several close battles and a late position swap.
Chaos at the start
The race got off to a messy start. Championship leader Thomas Preining in the #91 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R made contact with Thierry Vermeulen in the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 and went wide onto the grass, losing positions and ending up stuck behind Matteo Cairoli in the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari. Further back, Ricardo Feller in the #90 Manthey Racing Porsche hit Vermeulen at the turn 6 , sending both Vermeulen and Tom Kalender in the #84 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3 into spins. Feller lost his front bumper in the contact, while Maro Engel in the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3 avoided the traffic and climbed up to third.
Auer and Engstler clash, red flag
At the front, pole-sitter Luca Engstler in the #130 Abt Sportsline Lamborghini Temerario GT3 and Auer ran side by side, and Engstler and Auer pushed each other, and moments later Engstler spun and hit the barrier. The damage to his Lamborghini was enough to bring out the red flag. The incident was investigated with no further action, while Feller was handed a penalty for causing a collision.
Engel takes the lead
When racing resumed, Engel passed Auer for the lead, with Mirko Bortolotti in the #63 TGI Team by GRT Lamborghini Temerario GT3 third. Preining was down in tenth, but he soon got into a fight with Jules Gounon in the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Bastian Buus in the #29 Land-Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R for eighth. After running side by side with Gounon, he made the pass and took the position.
Pit stop phase
Finn Wiebelhaus in the #64 HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3, Maximilian Paul in the #19 TGI Team by GRT Lamborghini, Feller and Nicolas Baert in the #8 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 were the first to pit, followed by Cairoli and Gounon. Preining came in while the leaders were still out, with Engel leading from Auer and Bortolotti. Marco Wittmann in the #11 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 then pitted from fourth, followed by Vermeulen, and Bortolotti stopped soon after.
With five minutes left before the pit window closed, Engel and Auer pitted together. Engel’s stop turned out to be a long one after the wheel gun didn’t work properly, and he rejoined in fourth, still ahead of Preining. With 11 cars left, the order after the stops was Auer, Bortolotti, Wittmann, Engel and Preining.
Battles in the closing minutes
With five minutes to go, Kelvin van der Linde in the #3 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 passed Gounon for sixth. Behind them, Arjun Maini in the #36 HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3 got past Cairoli for eighth, and then Maini, Marco Mapelli in the #10 Abt Sportsline Lamborghini Temerario GT3, Gounon and Cairoli fought over seventh, with Gounon holding on to the position.
Two minutes from the end, Engel passed Wittmann for third, but Race Control ruled it an incorrect overtake and he had to give the place back.
Auer won by 4.777s from Bortolotti, with Wittmann third (+8.157) and Engel fourth (+8.533). Preining finished fifth (+17.057), ahead of van der Linde, Gounon, Maini, Mapelli, Wiebelhaus and Buus, who completed the 11 classified drivers.
Preining holds firm
Preining remains the championship leader on 209 points. Wittmann is second on 189 (-20), with Engel third on 187 (-22). Auer moves up to fourth on 179, 30 behind, ahead of Cairoli on 150 and Nicki Thiim in the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 on 147.
The action at Hockenheimring continues on Sunday, 11 October, with Qualifying 2 at 09:30 CEST to set the grid for Race 2, which starts at 16:30 CEST. Preining heads into the final race of the weekend with a 20-point lead over Wittmann in the championship.
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