Preining lays down marker ahead of DTM title showdown

Thomas Preining set the pace in his Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R ahead of the final two races of the DTM season at the Hockenheimring, as the championship leader was the fastest driver in both free practice sessions on Friday. Preining produced the best time of the day in FP1 in the morning, stopping the clocks at 1m36.974s. That made the 28-year-old the only man to dip below the 1m37s mark.

“A good result, but you don't know exactly how strong the opposition is,” said the Porsche works driver. “I have always felt at home at the Hockenheimring. Even traveling here, many fond memories came flooding back – winning the title in 2023, and my victory in the rain last year. We are really well prepared for the two races.”

Jules Gounon (Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter) was the second-fastest driver in his Mercedes-AMG GT3, 0.05s slower than Preining. Marco Wittmann, who currently lies third in the table, ended the day in third place for Schubert Motorsport, underlining the fact that his BMW M4 GT3 Evo is still a force to be reckoned with in the title race.

Finn Wiebelhaus (HRT Ford Performance) was fourth in a Ford Mustang GT3, ahead of Italian Mirko Bortolotti (TGI Team by GRT) in a Lamborghini Temerario GT3. The man currently second in the championship, Maro Engel from Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol, set the sixth-fastest time. The experienced competitor is also looking good ahead of the title showdown at the weekend.

When practice started around midday in dry conditions, Preining was one of the busiest drivers. The man from Linz was first to set the top time, which was then beaten several times over the course of the session. Wittmann and Engel also briefly topped the timings sheet. With quarter of an hour remaining, Gounon moved into top spot with the fastest lap up to that point. However, with three minutes left on the clock, Preining hit back with what proved to be the ultimate best time.

FP2 in the afternoon took place on a wet track after persistent rainfall. As a result, it was impossible to match the times from the earlier session. Instead, the teams focused on optimizing the wet-weather setup of their cars. The fastest driver, with a lap time of 1m47.823s, was again Preining.

Qualifying is set for Saturday morning ahead of Race 1.

• Catch all the action from Hockeheim on RACER Network and the RACE+ App. Race 1 airs Saturday starting at 6:55am ET, with Sunday's Race 2 starting at 9:55am ET.