Lamborghini’s new Temerario GT3 endured a nightmare begin to life in final weekend’s DTM season-opener on the Crimson Bull Ring.
Its leads to the Austrian double header raised severe issues in regards to the automobile’s competitiveness and the construction behind the programme. The dimensions of the issue is such that duty inside the organisation seems unclear, an element broadly seen as contributing to the present state of affairs on the Italian marque, which is a part of the Audi Group.
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The Temerario GT3 is a automobile that’s, by all accounts, so problematic that it has already earned itself the “Lamaghini Dromedario” moniker within the paddock.
Only a 12 months in the past, Lamborghini was preventing for the DTM title with the Huracan GT3 till the finale. Now, Grasser Racing Crew and Abt Sportsline discovered themselves successfully working their very own race in the back of the sector on the brand new automobile’s debut.
Even prime driver , who completed sixteenth on Sunday as the very best Lamborghini, was 36.082 seconds adrift after 37 laps – roughly one second per lap regardless of the Stability of Efficiency (BoP), which is meant to equalise the automobiles. Even in an Aston Martin – hardly thought-about a top-tier GT3 driver – was round 0.6 seconds per lap sooner.
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Bortolotti stated “the hole is gigantic” and it may have been quite a bit worse. Spielberg, with its lengthy straights, is definitely a circuit that masks a few of the Temerario’s most obvious weaknesses. Excessive observe temperatures of almost 40C and the brand new DTM tyre, which comes as much as temperature extra rapidly, additionally helped.
Had the season began, as in earlier years, on the twisty Oschersleben circuit with its 14 corners, the debut would probably have been much more embarrassing. The automobile has main points underneath braking and resists handing over, largely as a result of it generates too little mechanical grip by the suspension.
Methods equivalent to ABS and traction management usually are not but correctly refined, and the automobile was delivered to groups late in its growth cycle with no useful base set-up.
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Why Lamborghini ought to think about withdrawing the carJordan Pepper, Grasser Racing Crew Lamborghini Huracán EVO GT3
Jordan Pepper, Grasser Racing Crew Lamborghini Huracán EVO GT3
The worrying half is that this might flip right into a unending drawback. Fixing the problems throughout the season is sort of unimaginable as a result of strict testing restrictions within the collection. On prime of that, FIA homologation freezes growth.
Lamborghini can be effectively suggested to withdraw the Temerario retrospectively and run the Huracan once more in 2026, whereas fixing the brand new automobile within the background. That may be a short-term lack of face, however it might at the very least take away the issue early as a substitute of turning it right into a long-term embarrassment.
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These conversant in the programme say clearly that solely an Evo model may realistically save the challenge. Nevertheless, such an replace shouldn’t be attainable within the quick time period, as FIA guidelines usually solely permit it after two years – which means 2028 – except it issues security.
An answer through BoP can also be unrealistic. The automobile is already near the minimal weight restrict, and journey top has been diminished nearly as a lot as attainable. Extra turbo increase can be technically attainable, however the ensuing improve in prime pace would drive drivers to brake even earlier, providing little actual acquire. The BoP adjustment from Saturday to Sunday in Spielberg underlined this – extra of a sign than an actual repair.
Why nothing has modified since November
There’s additionally a way that these accountable at Lamborghini don’t totally know tips on how to tackle the state of affairs. “They don’t have the folks or the experience for it,” stated one insider.
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That will clarify why, regardless of clear warning indicators half a 12 months in the past, little has modified. “The automobile is nowhere close to the place I would really like it to be, however we already knew that in November,” Bortolotti stated on Saturday. Manufacturing facility drivers first examined the Temerario GT3 in October 2025 at Circuit Paul Ricard and reportedly raised issues instantly.
The identical issues have been evident once more throughout DTM testing in Vallelunga in March, but no decisive motion was taken.
Threat of wider penalties
How did it come to this? Lamborghini’s comparatively small motorsport division in Sant’Agata Bolognese has been hit by quite a few personnel modifications throughout the Temerario’s growth, following the departure of former motorsport boss Giorgio Sanna two years in the past after an inside investigation.
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Chief technical officer Rouven Mohr has since moved right into a broader function at Audi, leaving a management hole. New motorsport head Andrea Reggiani solely took up his place at the start of April and continues to be making an attempt to evaluate the dimensions of the issue.
Extra is at stake than Lamborghini’s picture – and the truth that the model now needs to promote its troubled GT3 automobile to gents drivers and buyer groups. The way forward for DTM outfits like Grasser and Abt can also be on the road, as they rely on sponsors who count on outcomes.
And finally, the DTM itself may very well be affected. Alongside Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini is the one producer fielding two groups and 4 automobiles. Dropping them would cut back the grid to only 17 automobiles – a worrying situation for a top-level GT3 championship.
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