The DTM is headed for Oschersleben, where it untraditionally starts the second half of the season
The DTM in Motorsport Arena from July 24th to July 26th opens the second half of the season with the ninth and tenth races. The man who needs to be followed on the northernmost German circuit is the winner of anything that could be won at Norisring.
Motorsport Arena Oschersleben is one of the most technically demanding circuits in the DTM calendar. Many corners with different radii form a radius of 3,667 kilometers near Magdeburg. The maximum speed of about 250 km / h comes at the end of a 700-metre long start / finish line. The best opportunities for overtaking are just before a narrow left turn at the end of this straight. A special feature is the arena character of the circuit, which provides the audience with a perfect view of the moving spectacle from a height above the track level. Fans will follow two BMW M4 GT3 cars to Schubert Motorsport. The team is only minutes away from the racetrack. Schubert Motorsport, twice the champion of Marco Wittmann and Kelvin van der Lind from South Africa, will try to take full advantage of the home environment.
Dane Nicki Thiim (Comtoyou Racing) after a triumphant weekend at Norisring leads a table of riders. However, there is a strong duo of Mercedes-AMG in the range of Mara Engel and Lucas Auer.
Thiim enters the weekend in Oschersleben as a man with a moment. After winning a maximum number of 56 points at Norisring, now the rider Aston Martin leads for the first time the continuous order of DTM. "I'm still a little impressed to be the leader of the DTM. My father drove long in this series, and my childhood dream was always to follow in his footsteps. Motorsport Arena is kind of like a home circuit to me. It's only about four hours from Denmark, so my family will be here to support me," says Thiim.
The Mercedes-AMG Engel and Auer drivers are behind Thiim by just nine or eleven points, respectively. The second Engel scores this season as consistently as ever and in the years 2024 and 2025 he got to the level of winners in Oschersleben.
Auer has also taken on his consistency since this year he has already finished on the stage four times - more than any other rider in the field. The secret of his success: "I always go one race at a time. Everything in DTM is very tight. Only top riders get to the starting grid. Everything can change at any time, so I just focus on the next challenge - whether it's free training, qualification or racing. We are satisfied with Motorsport Arena Oschersleben and above all Mercedes-AMG GT3, which is a very good versatile car," says the Austrian, who last year tasted the victory in the Magdeburg Börde region.
In the pursuit group behind the first three, there are also many things to be aware of: only 20 points are divided by the fourth Matteo Cairoli and young rider Ford Finn Wiebelhaus in the tenth place. Cairo in Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo is the only rider except Thiim, who has two wins this season, and a strong performance in Oschersleben could reduce the difference to the leading group.