The Winward Mercedes driver, Maro Engel, has achieved victory in the last race of the 2026 season of the DTM held at Hockenheim, but the title has gone to Thomas Preining of Manthey Porsche. Preining finished in third position, which was enough for him to secure his second title, after his previous success in 2023.
The race was marked by a three-hour wait before its start, a fact that Preining described as “horrendous” and made his competitive experience particularly stressful. “Our goal was to have a clean race, without contact, and we achieved that. I am very proud of my team,” he declared.
Despite his victory, Engel expressed his disappointment at not being able to secure the title. “We put everything we could into this weekend and we are proud of what we have achieved,” he commented. However, he acknowledged that the fight for the championship will continue.
Engel, who finished the championship in second place, also highlighted the importance of always being in a position to compete for the title with Mercedes-AMG, as one of the brand’s founders said. His podium mates, Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus, finished second and fourth respectively, while Matteo Cairoli and Marco Wittmann completed the top six.
During the race, Engel had to fight to overtake his rivals, including Buus, who defended his position boldly. In the end, he managed to take victory with a risky maneuver on the last lap of the race.
With this victory, Manthey Porsche has also won the teams’ championship, while Mercedes-AMG has secured the title in the manufacturers’ standings. The 2027 season of the DTM will start between April 23 and 25 at the Red Bull Ring circuit, Austria.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
