Thiim claims first DTM win for Aston Martin

Nicki Thiim (Comtoyou Racing) hit top form again at the Norisring. The Dane won race seven of the season at the sold-out street circuit in Nuremberg on Saturday, and in doing so presented Aston Martin with its first victory in the DTM. For Thiim, it was success number two, having also tasted victory at the Norisring in 2024. The Dane dominated the race from the word go and took the checkered flag after 63 laps of racing.

"To get the first DTM win for Aston Martin, and at the Norisring, my favorite circuit, feels incredible," said the 37-year-old. "This moment is already the highlight of the year for me. The race was interrupted for a while, which was a big challenge mentally. As such, I am all the happier with the win."

Maro Engel (Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol) crossed the finish line in second place, 0.587s behind Thiim. That was sufficient to see the experienced Engel climb to the top of the drivers' championship. Ford driver Arjun Maini (HRT Ford Racing) was rewarded for another impressive performance with third place and his first podium of the season.

Starting from pole position, Thiim held onto his lead, and then controlled the race from the front. Engel and Maini followed in second and third place. While Engel and Maini came in very early for their mandatory pit stops, Thiim stopped later for his new set of Pirelli slicks, and rejoined as race leader ahead of Mercedes driver Engel. Behind them, Maini and Lucas Auer (Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf) were embroiled in an enthralling battle, with the Indian eventually coming out on top.

Shortly after that, on lap 34, there was a crash involving Kelvin van der Linde (Schubert Motorsport) and Maximilian Paul (TGI Team by GRT). Lamborghini racer Paul hit van der Linde's BMW in Turn 1. The barriers had to be repaired after the crash, resulting in the race being suspended for about an hour. While the initial examination of van der Linde revealed no serious injuries, Paul was taken to hospital with a suspected fracture of the lower leg.

Following the restart, there were no more changes to the top four. Thiim, Engel, Maini and Auer were followed home in fifth place by Thierry Vermeulen (Emil Frey Racing) in a Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. Finn Wiebelhaus (HRT Ford Racing) finished sixth in the second Ford Mustang GT3. Jules Gounon (Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter) ended race seven of the season in seventh place. Mirko Bortolotti (TGI Team by GRT) was eighth across the finish line as the best-placed Lamborghini driver. Thomas Preining (Manthey), at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 R, had come in for his tire change shortly before the crash. He benefited from pitting during the full course yellow phase, and climbed several places into fourth. However, the Austrian was unable to hang onto that position and eventually came home ninth. Ben Dörr (Dörr Motorsport) completed the top 10 in a McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.

"A good race from us, with a super result!" said Engel. "Nicki Thiim was simply faster and deserved to win. I tried everything after his pit stop, as his tires were not quite up to the optimal temperature. I did get closer, but could not close the gap sufficiently."

• Watch Sunday's Race 2 from the Norisring on RACER Network and the RACER+ App, starting at 7:15am ET.