One win and one podium end was all manufacturing facility Aston Martin driver Nicki Thiim may obtain in 36 DTM races with Lamborghini.
Aston Martin had launched Thiim to race for one more model in 2022, 2024 and 2025, however he struggled to become familiar with the Lamborghini Huracan GT3.
As he prepares to lastly symbolize his employer in a Vantage GT3 this 12 months, Thiim appears to be like again at what was an extremely powerful stint within the DTM in Lamborghini equipment.
“My head remains to be exploding about that as a result of clearly, as a racing driver, you need to be aggressive on a regular basis and you may’t think about what number of sleepless nights I had due to that automotive,” he stated.
It did not assist that Lamborghini ace Mirko Bortolotti was Thiim’s team-mate at SSR in 2024 and once more at Abt final 12 months.
“I in all probability competed with the very best man in that automotive, with Mirko, discovered quite a bit from him and clearly tried to take as a lot as I may,” he stated.
“I knew already from [the] starting that I might already be on the again foot. Clearly, politically, you’ll do like that, particularly the primary 12 months, however that is a special story.
“It was only a very particular automotive to drive. It is onerous to present you one thing.”
Thiim’s first DTM try with Lamborghini didn’t final lengthy, as a result of after simply two disappointing weekends in 2022 he cut up from the T3 Motorsport workforce, which later filed for insolvency. On the time there have been rumours that the Huracan equipped by Lamborghini was in poor situation — and it was additionally stated that the workforce was sad with the engine efficiency, in keeping with what may very well be heard within the paddock again then.
Nicki Thiim, SSR Efficiency Lamborghini Huracán EVO GT3
Picture by: Alexander Trienitz
However issues didn’t run easily for Thiim with the Huracan afterwards both: in 2024, he completed thirteenth within the general standings within the SSR Lamborghini and scored his solely DTM victory on the Norisring, whereas Bortolotti turned champion. In 2025, he managed solely 18th place, though his third-place end in Zandvoort at the least marked Abt’s greatest results of the season.
“You actually need to spend each weekend within the automotive, like all the opposite guys, to actually be capable of pull out these one, two, three tenths that you just actually [need to] go from right here to up right here, particularly within the DTM,” he stated.
Thiim on adapting: “If it’s a must to assume, you’re already too sluggish”
Thiim needed to take care of the mid-engined Lamborghini within the DTM, whereas he was driving the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 — which makes use of a front-mid-engine idea — in all his different races. On prime of that, the Huracan’s 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 lacks torque, which doesn’t make issues any simpler.
“If it does not include intuition, if it’s a must to assume in a race automotive, you are already too sluggish,” he stated. “That was positively my downside with the Lambo.”
‘I’ve pushed front-wheel-driven vehicles, four-wheel-driven vehicles, all the things from Cup to Class 1s. Usually, I haven’t got the largest downside to vary, however once more, DTM is so detailed,” he stated, referring to the DTM’s one-driver-per-car format.
Thiim disenchanted after 2025: “A horror season for all of us”
Nicki Thiim, Crew Abt Sportsline Lamborghini Huracán EVO GT3
Picture by: Alexander Trienitz
However, Thiim is grateful to SSR boss Stefan Schlund and the Abt workforce for giving him the chance to race within the DTM, particularly as each groups may even have opted for manufacturing facility drivers.
Particularly with Abt, it was clear to Thiim “that I might take such an opportunity if it introduced itself’, although the workforce endured the weakest season in its DTM historical past in 2025.
“It was a horrible season for all of us,” he admitted. “However once more, nonetheless quite a lot of love and respect for what we tried to do final 12 months, although it was powerful.”
Lastly equal weapons in 2026? “The automotive matches like a glove”
Thiim’s homecoming, nonetheless, ought to change all the things for him.
“With the Aston, it’s actually dwelling” described Thiim, who has been driving for the British model for 10 years. “We have confirmed the automotive in endurance races. You simply sit in and it matches like a glove. That is the place I really feel snug, like all the opposite drivers on the grid.”
For that purpose, Thiim believes “this 12 months is the primary time the place actually everybody has the identical playground to enter.”
Nevertheless, the Dane wouldn’t need to miss the troublesome expertise of the previous few years.
“On the finish of the day, it actually solely made me stronger. Now, I am simply trying ahead to actually go on the market. There’s completely zero excuses now to do something incorrect. Not a lot extra to say,” he concluded.
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