The brand new bull from Italy stormed surprisingly to his first victory within the DTM: Abt-Lamborghini driver Marco Mapelli wins the primary race on the Lausitzring. The 38-year-old Italian, who had began the race from sixteenth on the grid, accomplished his necessary pit cease throughout a full-course yellow part and thus benefited from an infinite time benefit.
“Sure, in the beginning we took a chance, identical to others did, and I trusted the group,” Mapelli instructed ProSieben. Regardless of a rain bathe earlier than the beginning, Abt went into the race on slick tires. “However I wasn’t actually certain, particularly on the primary lap. However generally you simply must take heed to individuals who have already gained far more.”
“That labored out effectively,” says the Italian, who solely benefited from the pit cease through the yellow part. “In fact we had been fortunate with the full-course yellow, that was a sport changer. I feel it is a good reward for everybody engaged on this venture. I am joyful.”
Ben Dörr repeats his podium from Zandvoort
Ben Dörr (Dörr-McLaren) and Manthey-Porsche driver Ricardo Feller additionally had the identical luck, as they too got here into the pits on the excellent time and accomplished the rostrum on Saturday. Polesitter Nicki Thiim (Comtoyou-Aston-Martin) was unfortunate: regardless of a daring tire gamble that had truly already paid off, the Dane solely completed fourth.
“To be trustworthy, I did not anticipate that,” second-placed Dörr instructed ProSieben. “I somewhat assumed we’d have poor probabilities right here. However technique and climate performed into our palms at the moment, identical to for the opposite two on the rostrum.”
“I feel we did every part proper at the moment and might be very happy with the consequence,” the McLaren driver praises his group. “In fact we began on slicks and gambled a bit with that, as a result of we had repeatedly had issues within the rain up to now.”
Marco Wittmann (Schubert-BMW) finishes fifth, adopted by Maximilian Paul (Grasser-Lamborghini) and Thierry Vermeulen within the Emil Frey Ferrari. Lucas Auer (Landgraf-Mercedes) takes eighth place, whereas Jules Gounon (Winward-Mercedes) and Matteo Cairoli (Emil Frey Ferrari) full the highest 10.
Rain bathe causes tire gamble in the beginning
Even earlier than the race, the groups and drivers confronted a troublesome tire resolution: round quarter-hour earlier than the beginning, a heavy rain bathe fell, flooding the observe inside a really brief time and inflicting a five-minute delay.
Because of the excessive asphalt temperatures, the robust wind, and the truth that apparently no additional rain was anticipated, some groups anticipated the observe would dry rapidly. A number of drivers subsequently opted for slicks, together with even polesitter Thiim.
After two formation laps, the beginning was given within the acquainted two-by-two formation. Lucas Auer instantly stormed into the lead on rain tires, adopted by his two AMG model teammates Jules Gounon and Maro Engel. The fourth AMG driver Tom Kalender (Landgraf-Mercedes) was spun round within the midfield.
Bastian Buus additionally did not get far: the Land-Porsche driver spun into the gravel entice in flip 7 and acquired caught there, triggering the primary and solely security automobile part. That particularly performed into the palms of the slick-tire drivers, who thus didn’t lose much more floor. Nevertheless, Thiim had already dropped again to thirteenth at that time.
Slick tires develop into the decisive benefit
When the protection automobile got here in once more a couple of laps later, the observe was considerably drier, however the drivers on slicks had been nonetheless at a drawback. Auer defended his lead in opposition to Gounon, whereas Engel behind them needed to give method to Cairoli and Arjun Maini (HRT-Ford).
Simply the second lap after the restart introduced the turning level: the lap instances of the automobiles on slick tires now turned considerably sooner. At that time Thiim was the best-placed driver on treadless tires, lapping round two seconds sooner than the leaders and starting to go the primary rivals on rain tires.
Even earlier than the pit cease window opened, the Dane had already moved previous Auer into the lead. It was accordingly hardly stunning that each one the drivers on rain tires got here into the pits on the first alternative to modify to slicks.
One lap later, nevertheless, Thiim, Vermeulen and Paul additionally accomplished their necessary pit cease, whereas Timo Glock needed to park his Dörr-McLaren on the observe on account of a technical defect. This in flip led to a full-course yellow part, which turned the race-deciding second.
Mapelli, Dörr and Feller fortunate with the pit cease
Though it isn’t permitted to finish the necessary cease throughout a full-course yellow part, Marco Mapelli, Ben Dörr and Ricardo Feller had already crossed the road on the pit entry when the yellow part was referred to as. Due to this fact, their pit go to was counted because the necessary cease.
After the pit cease window closed, a very completely different image emerged on the entrance: Mapelli was abruptly main within the Abt Lamborghini, carefully adopted by Dörr and Feller. The trio was greater than 20 seconds forward of Thiim, who regardless of his cost couldn’t flip his profitable tire gamble in the beginning right into a victory.
Mapelli’s debut success was now not in peril within the closing levels. The Italian even prolonged his lead over Dörr additional within the last laps and in the end crossed the end line as a commanding winner.
Maro Engel, who had beforehand led the general DTM standings, alternatively skilled a troublesome race. After the full-course yellow, the Winward-Mercedes driver slid off the observe and plowed by way of the gravel entice, which dropped him far again. In the long run, Engel completed solely in fifteenth place and collects only one level for that.
The AMG driver engaged in a tough duel in opposition to Manthey-Porsche driver Thomas Preining within the closing levels. After a number of place modifications, contacts and offended radio messages, Preining in the end got here out on high. Engel should give up his total result in model teammate Auer.
There’s hardly any time for the drivers to let tempers quiet down once more: the sixth race of the 2026 DTM season is already scheduled for Sunday. After the morning qualifying session (from 9 a.m.), the beginning of the following warmth battle on the Lausitzring follows at 1:30 p.m.
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