Auer wins chaotic Hockenheim DTM race as Preining closes in on 2026 title

News Summary

• Lucas Auer won Race 1 at Hockenheim, ahead of Mirko Bortolotti and Marco Wittmann, after a chaotic race featuring a major accident and a red flag.
• Maro Engel lost the lead following a pit-stop problem and finished fourth after being ordered to return third place to Wittmann.
• Thomas Preining recovered to fifth, extending his championship advantage to 20 points over Wittmann before Sunday’s final race.

Lucas Auer won the opening race of the 2026 DTM season finale at Hockenheim on Saturday, October 10, surviving a chaotic contest marked by multiple collisions, a major accident involving Luca Engstler, a red flag and a costly pit-stop problem for Mercedes teammate Maro Engel.

The Austrian completed the 36-lap race ahead of Mirko Bortolotti and Marco Wittmann, while Engel finished fourth after losing the lead in the pit stops and subsequently being ordered to return a position to the BMW driver following an unsuccessful overtaking manoeuvre.

However, the biggest championship beneficiary was Thomas Preining, who recovered from an opening-lap incident to finish fifth and extend his advantage at the top of the standings to 20 points ahead of Sunday’s final race.

Engstler crashes heavily after contact with Auer

The race began on a dry track after qualifying had taken place in wet conditions, creating an immediate change in grip levels for the 21-car field.

Engstler initially led the pack, while Preining attempted to challenge Auer into Turn 1 but could not complete the move.

Behind them, Thierry Vermeulen tried to avoid contact with Preining and moved towards Ricardo Feller, who lost his front bumper in the incident at Turn 2.

Moments later, Vermeulen made contact with Preining, sending the Porsche driver wide and dropping him down the order. Another incident followed at the hairpin, where Tom Kalender was hit, before Feller made contact with Vermeulen and spun the Ferrari driver.

Preining fell to ninth, leaving the championship leader with considerable ground to recover.

The situation became more serious on lap two when Auer attacked Engstler for the lead.

The two drivers made contact twice during the battle, with Engstler’s Lamborghini crashing heavily into the barriers at the entrance to Hockenheim’s stadium section.

Race control initially deployed the safety car before suspending the race with a red flag.

The restart was scheduled for 13:53 local time behind the safety car, allowing marshals to clear the damaged Lamborghini and repair the affected barriers.

Feller was subsequently handed a penalty requiring him to complete three laps through a designated slow zone for his contact with Vermeulen.

Mercedes allows Engel through before pit-stop disaster

Following the restart, Auer was leading for Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf, with Engel running behind him.

With Engel fighting for the championship, Auer allowed his Mercedes teammate through into first place, giving the German an opportunity to strengthen his title challenge.

Engel appeared well positioned to capitalise on the situation, but his race unravelled during the mandatory pit stop.

A problem changing the right-rear tyre delayed his Mercedes, allowing Auer, Bortolotti and Wittmann to move ahead.

Engel returned to the circuit in fourth, with Marco Mapelli and Preining close behind.

The error was particularly costly because Engel entered the finale as one of Preining’s main championship rivals, making every position crucial.

Preining fights back through the field

Preining began his recovery after the restart, overtaking Bastian Buus and Jules Gounon to climb to eighth.

The Manthey Porsche driver continued making progress as the pit-stop phase approached.

Preining entered the pits at the same time as Timo Glock and emerged ahead of the former Formula 1 driver. Shortly afterwards, Glock made contact with Gounon at pit exit and spun.

Preining then closed on Kelvin van der Linde, completing an overtake at the hairpin to move into sixth.

His final gain came when Matteo Cairoli ran wide in the closing stages, allowing the Austrian to take fifth place.

Preining’s recovery from ninth to fifth proved decisive in the championship, particularly with Engel losing positions through the pit-stop problem and his subsequent battle with Wittmann.

Engel ordered to return third place to Wittmann

Engel mounted a determined recovery after his pit-stop setback, gradually closing the gap to Wittmann in the battle for third.

With approximately three minutes remaining, the Mercedes driver overtook the BMW and moved into the final podium position.

However, race control reviewed the manoeuvre and determined that the pass had not been completed correctly.

Engel was instructed to give the position back to Wittmann, dropping him to fourth.

The German attempted to attack again in the closing stages but could not regain third place.

Auer crossed the finish line to secure victory, with Bortolotti second and Wittmann third. Engel finished fourth, followed by Preining.

DTM Hockenheim 2026 — Race 1 results

Preining takes 20-point lead into DTM title decider

Preining’s fifth-place finish strengthened his position at the top of the Drivers’ Championship before Sunday’s final race.

The Manthey Porsche driver now has 209 points, 20 ahead of Wittmann and 22 ahead of Engel.

Auer’s victory moved him to fourth with 179 points, leaving him 30 behind Preining.

DTM 2026 championship standings — top six

The results leave Preining, Wittmann, Engel and Auer as the four drivers still mathematically capable of winning the title, subject to the points available in Sunday’s qualifying and race.

The GRANDE PRÊMIO endurance and GT racing section follows the latest developments across international GT championships, including the DTM season finale at Hockenheim.