Preining Dominates Again at Oschersleben as Thiim’s Weekend Woes Deepen

OSCHERSLEBEN, Germany – Thomas Preining continued his imperious form at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, securing pole position for Sunday’s DTM race with a blistering lap of 1:22.400. The Manthey Porsche driver matched his Saturday achievement, once again edging out Abt Lamborghini’s Lucas Engstler, who finished 0.105 seconds adrift. It was a familiar sight at the front of the grid, with Preining demonstrating that his Saturday victory was no fluke but rather a testament to the sheer pace of the #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R.

“A super weekend—the car was fantastic again,” Preining said, reflecting on the team’s consistency. “It was a real team effort, and I hope we can convert that in the race.”

However, converting pole to victory will be significantly more challenging this time around. As per DTM regulations, Preining must carry 20kg of success ballast following his win in Saturday’s sprint race. This additional weight will test the limits of the Porsche’s handling and tire management over the longer distance. His dominance was further underscored by the significant gap to other Porsche entries; teammate Ricardo Feller qualified a distant 11th (+0.319s), while Landgraf Porsche’s Bastian Buus started 13th (+0.387s), highlighting just how much Preining and his engineers have extracted from their specific package this weekend.

Wittmann’s Resilient Return Amidst Illness

While Preining dominated the headlines, Marco Wittmann delivered one of the most resilient performances of the season for Schubert BMW. Qualifying third, just +0.150s off the pace, Wittmann achieved this feat despite battling a severe gastrointestinal infection that had forced his retirement from Saturday’s race.

Wittmann’s performance was aided by updated Balance of Performance (BoP) adjustments, which granted the BMW M4 GT3 Evo additional boost pressure, leveling the playing field against the dominant Porsches and Lamborghinis. But beyond the mechanical advantage, Wittmann holds a crucial strategic edge: his Saturday retirement meant he preserved a fresh set of tires for Sunday’s two-stop race. In a format where tire degradation is critical, having a brand-new set could prove decisive in the closing stages.

“The car already felt good yesterday, and now with the BoP changes we can run up front,” Wittmann noted. “I have a tire advantage in the race because of my retirement yesterday; I hope we can make use of that.” His ability to push through physical discomfort to secure a front-row start has earned him widespread praise from rivals and fans alike.

Chaos at Turn 2: Auer’s Error Ripples Through the Field

For Mercedes-AMG, the session was a tale of two halves. Points leader Maro Engel qualified as the top Mercedes driver in fifth (+0.244s), describing his lap as “the absolute maximum of what we had in our package.” However, his Winward Racing teammate Lucas Auer, currently third in the championship suffered a catastrophic error that reshuffled the entire grid.

During his fast lap, Auer lost control at the high-speed Turn 2, sliding into the gravel trap. The incident not only compromised his own qualifying effort (leaving him 17th, +0.568s off the pace) but also ruined the laps of several drivers behind him. As Auer’s car kicked up sand and debris onto the racing line, subsequent drivers found themselves on a dirty track with reduced grip.

Schubert BMW’s Kelvin van der Linde, who had been on a promising lap that would have placed him higher than his eventual seventh place (+0.294s), was forced to abort his effort. “There was a lot of dirt on the track; I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” van der Linde said, visibly frustrated.

Auer acknowledged the broader impact of his mistake. “For everyone behind me, the lap was ruined. I feel sorry for everyone,” he stated. While both drivers accepted the incident as unintentional, the repercussions for the championship battle are significant. Auer will start 16th after a three-place grid penalty for Ben Dörr (penalized for a collision with Jules Gounon on Saturday) promotes him slightly, but he still faces a monumental climb through the field.

Thiim’s Championship Hopes Fade

For Nicki Thiim, the weekend has turned into a nightmare. The Comtoyou Aston Martin driver, who entered the weekend as the mid-season championship leader, qualified only 19th (+0.773s), starting near the back for the second consecutive day. Despite receiving additional boost pressure via BoP adjustments designed to help the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO, Thiim could not extract the necessary pace from the car.

His struggles have allowed Thomas Preining and others to close the gap in the standings, with Thiim now slipping to second in the championship. Teammate Nicolas Baert fared even worse, qualifying last in 20th (+0.897s). Both drivers face an enormous recovery task in Sunday’s race. However, they will benefit slightly from grid penalties handed to others; with Ben Dörr’s penalty, Thiim moves up to 18th on the grid, though the deficit to the leaders remains substantial.

The Tire Strategy Wildcard

Sunday’s race promises to be a strategic chess match, complicated by the DTM’s mandatory two-stop format and the requirement to use all three allocated tire sets. This rule places a premium on tire management and creates a distinct advantage for drivers who saved rubber on Saturday.

Beyond Wittmann, drivers who retired or ran limited laps on Saturday and thus have fresher tires for Sunday include:

• Jules Gounon (Qualified 10th)

• Finn Wiebelhaus (Qualified 14th)

• Marco Mapelli (Qualified 17th)

• Ben Dörr (Qualified 19th before penalty)

• Nicolas Baert (Qualified 20th)

In a field where qualifying gaps are measured in mere tenths of a second, tire freshness could be the deciding factor in the final stint. Drivers like Preining and Engstler, who pushed hard in both qualifying sessions, may find themselves defending against attackers with superior grip late in the race.

As the sun sets on Oschersleben, the stage is set for a dramatic finale. With Preining carrying extra weight, Wittmann fighting illness but armed with fresh tires, and Auer and Thiim desperate to salvage points, Sunday’s race is poised to be a chaotic and compelling conclusion to the DTM’s visit to Germany.