The DTM championship has revealed the complete list of participating vehicles for the 2026 season, which will feature a total of 21 cars from eight different manufacturers. This change marks a decrease from the 24 vehicles of last year, where there were a total of nine brands competing.
The motorsport director of ADAC, Thomas Voss, expressed satisfaction with the quality of the drivers competing this year, with representatives from eleven nations, highlighting the international significance of the competition. Among the participants are three former champions and prominent figures like Timo Glock and the return of Kelvin van der Linde. Additionally, the young Finn Wiebelhaus is included, who makes his DTM debut after winning the Road to DTM competition.
Changes in the Grid
This season will see a decrease in the presence of vehicles and teams due to the brand change of the Land team to Porsche, and Audi’s withdrawal from the DTM for this season, although it maintains the possibility of guest vehicle participation. Furthermore, the organizing committee has communicated that the team of Maximilian Paul, which has stopped participating in the championship, will not be able to continue with a new Lamborghini model, also leaving gaps in the grid.
Notable Participants
Among the driver changes, three-time champion Rene Rast and Jack Aitken have opted for competitions with prototypes, while Ayhancan Guven will not defend his title and will head to Formula E. On the other hand, Kelvin van der Linde returns to the DTM after a year of absence, now competing with BMW. The novelty also includes the arrival of new drivers like Matteo Cairoli, who will replace Aitken with Emil Frey’s Ferrari.
Among the notable drivers competing are Thomas Preining, Mirko Bortolotti, and Marco Wittmann, all three aspiring to fight once again for the title. Timo Glock presents himself as the most experienced driver on the grid, at 44 years old, while the youngest driver is Tom Kalender, who just celebrated his 18th birthday.
DTM 2026 Grid
Below is the initial grid:
| Number | Driver | Team | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Kelvin van der Linde | Schubert | BMW M4 GT3 Evo |
| 7 | Nicki Thiim | Comtoyou | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 |
| 8 | Nicolas Baert | Comtoyou | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 |
| 10 | Marco Mapelli | Abt | Lamborghini Temerario GT3 |
| 11 | Marco Wittmann | Schubert | BMW M4 GT3 Evo |
| 14 | Matteo Cairoli | Emil Frey | Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo |
| 16 | Timo Glock | Dorr | McLaren 720S GT3 Evo |
| 19 | Mirko Bortolotti | Grasser | Lamborghini Temerario GT3 |
| 22 | Lucas Auer | Landgraf | Mercedes-AMG GT3 |
| 25 | Ben Dorr | Dörr | McLaren 720S GT3 Evo |
| 29 | Bastian Buus | Land | Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo |
| 36 | Arjun Maini | HRT | Ford Mustang GT3 Evo |
| 48 | Jules Gounon | Winward | Mercedes-AMG GT3 |
| 63 | Maximilian Paul | Grasser | Lamborghini Temerario GT3 |
| 64 | Finn Wiebelhaus | HRT | Ford Mustang GT3 Evo |
| 69 | Thierry Vermeulen | Emil Frey | Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo |
| 80 | Maro Engel | Winward | Mercedes-AMG GT3 |
| 84 | Tom Kalender | Landgraf | Mercedes-AMG GT3 |
| 90 | Ricardo Feller | Manthey | Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo |
| 91 | Thomas Preining | Manthey | Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo |
| 130 | Luca Engstler | Abt | Lamborghini Temerario GT3 |
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
