Maro Engel takes DTM championship lead at Oschersleben

Maro Engel has seized the DTM drivers’ championship lead after the Oschersleben double-header, capping a dominant weekend for Mercedes-AMG. The German ace, driving the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #80 for Team RAVENOL, started fifth on Saturday and converted that into a third-place finish, while Jules Gounon, Tom Kalender and Lucas Auer all suffered race-day setbacks. On Sunday, Engel again led the points after qualifying, then used a late second pit-stop overcut to climb from fourth to second at the flag. The 3.667 km Motorsport Arena Oschersleben layout delivered high-stakes strategy, with two mandatory pit windows forcing constant tactical calls. Engel’s late-race pass underlined Mercedes-AMG’s race-day prowess, while Gounon’s race ended prematurely after contact at the start. Engel now heads the drivers’ standings with 145 points, while Winward Racing leads the teams’ classification on 205 and Mercedes-AMG tops the manufacturers’ table with 277. The next DTM round, events 11 and 12 of the 2026 season, moves to the Nürburgring from 14–16 August. Mercedes-AMG Motorsport sporting director Thomas Jäger hailed the weekend as “very good,” stressing that the focus must now shift to the next challenge. Lucas Auer, who recovered from a 16th-place grid slot to finish 12th on Sunday, echoed the need for further improvement ahead of the Nürburgring return.