DTM Hockenheimring: Preining crowned two-time champion as Engel wins the finale

Thomas Preining is the 2026 DTM champion. Third place in Race 2 at the Hockenheimring was enough for the Austrian in the #91 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R to take his second title, even though rival Maro Engel won the season finale in the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Engel takes control

Bastian Buus led the early laps from pole in the #29 Land-Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R, while Engel passed Preining for second late on the opening lap. Further back, Jules Gounon in the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG GT3 retired with left-rear damage after contact at Turn 2, for which Thierry Vermeulen in the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 was penalised.

Engel then closed in on Buus and forced his way past at Turn 8 during the first pit window. Preining followed him through, and after the stops the order was Engel, Preining, Ricardo Feller in the #90 Manthey Racing Porsche and Buus.

Rain stays away

Engel built a lead of more than four seconds in the middle stint and kept it through the second round of pit stops. Light rain fell with ten minutes to go, but the sun soon returned and Engel was never threatened.

Result and championship

Engel won by 3.058 seconds after 34 laps. Behind him, Preining let teammate Feller through for second in the Arena on the final lap and finished third (+3.698), with Buus fourth (+3.994). Ben Dörr in the #25 Dörr Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 was fifth, ahead of Matteo Cairoli in the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari and Marco Wittmann in the #11 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, who had started 16th.

Preining ends the season on 225 points, 12 ahead of Engel, with Wittmann third on 198. After winning the opener at the Red Bull Ring he went through a lean first half of the year, before a run of podiums from Oschersleben onwards brought him back to the top. Manthey also took the teams’ title, and the season closed with donuts in front of the grandstand.

The 2027 DTM season starts at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on 23-25 April.