DTM at Norisring: Two Races, Two Podium Finishes for Mercedes-AMG Teams

The fourth race weekend of the 2026 DTM season saw Mercedes-AMG teams demonstrate consistency, with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon, Maro Engel, and Tom Kalender all securing important points. The 2.162-kilometer Norisring, the only street circuit in the DTM calendar, is known for having the least tire wear, resulting in more laps being driven during qualifying than usual. On Sunday, Lucas Auer and Jules Gounon started from the third row, Tom Kalender from the fifth, and Maro Engel from the sixth, with Engel carrying an additional 10 kilograms of success weight due to his podium finish on Saturday. The race started with rain, and all vehicles were initially on slicks, but after a first incident and a resulting yellow phase, the race was interrupted with a red flag, allowing teams to switch to rain tires and adjust their strategy. Once the rain stopped and the track dried quickly, all Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars switched back to slicks during the first pit stop window. Lucas Auer managed to secure third place in his Mercedes-AMG GT3 #22, while Jules Gounon finished fifth, Maro Engel seventh, and Tom Kalender 14th, with all four Mercedes-AMG drivers scoring points. On Saturday, all four Mercedes-AMG drivers started in the top 10, with Maro Engel from the first row, Jules Gounon from the second, Lucas Auer from the third, and Tom Kalender from the fourth. The race was overshadowed by a severe accident involving two competitors, leading to a nearly one-hour interruption. After the restart, Maro Engel achieved a podium finish with second place, marking the 25th podium for the Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing in the DTM. Lucas Auer drove the fastest lap in 0:48.830 minutes and finished fourth, while Jules Gounon, who completed his 200th race for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport on Saturday, finished seventh. Tom Kalender had no luck, being forced to retire his Mercedes-AMG GT3 after contacting the wall in the Thomas-Sommer curve. At the halfway point of the DTM season, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport is second in the drivers’ standings with Maro Engel and third with Lucas Auer, while the Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing leads the team standings, and Mercedes-AMG also leads the manufacturers’ competition. The next DTM race weekend will take place from July 24 to 26 in Oschersleben. Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Director Thomas Jäger expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, noting that despite the accident on Saturday, the team can be pleased with two podium finishes and all four Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars scoring points on Sunday. Lucas Auer praised his team’s strategy and work, stating that third place felt like a win given the better starting positions of the drivers ahead of him. Maro Engel also expressed satisfaction with the first half of the season, looking forward to the second half.