DTM Lausitzring Weekend Update

Mixed Fortunes for German Marques in a Classic Double-Header

The Dekra Lausitzring produced two contrasting races across the DTM weekend, offering a real test for drivers and teams representing the German manufacturers. On both days, fans witnessed tense strategic battles, flashes of brilliance from established stars and rookies, and enough drama to keep the championship picture wide open. If you follow the fortunes of Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Porsche, or Audi in the DTM, there was plenty to discuss after both races.

Mercedes-AMG: Auer’s Masterclass and Gounon’s Late Charge

Saturday belonged to Lucas Auer, who took his second win of the DTM season and a remarkable fourth at Lausitzring for Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf. Auer was in control from pole position, pulling away at the start and maintaining composure even when strategy came into play. The key moment arrived after his pit stop. Maro Engel, pitting later for Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing, emerged briefly ahead, but with warmer tyres, Auer soon reclaimed the lead. “I was able to pull away a bit at the start, which was important for that tight first corner… The Lausitzring is just a perfect fit for me. I recorded my first DTM win here in 2016, and I simply love driving on this circuit,” Auer reflected after his eleventh career DTM win.

Engel was forced to settle for second, making it a Mercedes-AMG one-two, and praised the close racing: “After the pit stop, I tried everything to defend the lead against Lucas Auer while I was on cold tyres. It is precisely these duels that make the DTM so exciting.”

Jules Gounon, representing Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter, was a constant threat too. He finished fourth on Saturday and took the fastest lap. On Sunday, Gounon went even better, climbing onto the podium in third after a late-race surge, finishing just 0.045 seconds behind second-placed René Rast. His own summary captured the unpredictability: “That was a really crazy race with so many battles, brilliant for the spectators. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the pace at the start… Things went much better after the first pit stop, and in the end, I was just a few centimetres away from finishing second.”

Auer, meanwhile, had a tougher Sunday. Ninth place was enough for him to defend the championship lead, but the focus will now shift to whether he can sustain this advantage at circuits less favourable to Mercedes-AMG.

BMW: Rast’s Podium Double and Wittmann’s Frustration

René Rast proved to be the weekend’s most consistent German marque driver. He claimed third place on Saturday for Schubert Motorsport and went one better on Sunday, finishing second after a tense duel with Jack Aitken. Rast started eighth and carved through the field, benefiting from strong pit work. It seemed he would take victory, only to be caught and passed by Aitken’s Ferrari on the penultimate lap. “Of course, it’s annoying to lose out on the win two laps before the finish. But I hardly had any traction by the end, and I couldn’t accelerate out of the turns so well. However, second place is still a good result, considering that I started from eighth. With the third place on Saturday, it was a successful weekend overall,” Rast admitted.

Marco Wittmann also had his moments, finishing fifth on Saturday and qualifying on the front row for Sunday. Unfortunately, an ABS failure and resulting flat-spotted tyres meant eighth was the best he could manage in Race 2. Wittmann’s frustration was clear, but the team could at least point to important points and strong pace in qualifying.

Porsche: Preining’s Bad Luck and Schuring’s Breakthrough

For Manthey Racing, the weekend offered both disappointment and hope. Thomas Preining finished sixth on Saturday and looked set for more on Sunday after starting third, only to be hit in the opening corners, breaking the front right track rod and ending his remarkable run of 35 consecutive points finishes. “After a great start to the race, I was almost able to take the lead, but unfortunately, the Ferrari behind me took a hit and slid into me,” Preining explained.

Morris Schuring managed to grab his first DTM points on Sunday. Despite being spun early, he recovered to finish eleventh, best of the rookies, and expressed pride in the progress: “Our pace was very good and I feel that we are making progress. That motivates me a lot for my home race in Zandvoort!” Ayhancan Güven rounded out Porsche’s points on both days but struggled with tyre grip and finished further down the order on Sunday.

Audi: Early Promise, Mixed Results

Audi’s main highlight came from Ricardo Feller with a strong qualifying performance on Saturday, lining up second. Feller’s race ended in retirement due to a loss of power with ten minutes to go, while on Sunday, he finished twelfth after a difficult qualifying. There were flashes of speed, but no major reward this weekend.

Championship Picture and Next Steps

Auer retains the championship lead, but BMW and Mercedes-AMG are closing in, with Porsche’s Manthey Racing still second in the team standings. There are plenty of variables heading to Zandvoort, and after a weekend like this, it would be unwise to predict a clear favourite. Each of the German marques will leave Lausitzring with reasons to believe and areas to improve. Sometimes that’s exactly what you want from a double-header weekend.