KLETTWITZ, Germany — A perfect strategy, a bold tire choice, and a bit of luck secured Ben Dörr’s (Butzbach/Dörr Motorsport) first DTM victory in Saturday’s race at the Dekra Lausitzring.
The 21-year-old marked McLaren’s historic first DTM win – meaning there have been five different winners in the first five races of the season.
“This victory is something very special for me! Of course, I would have loved to celebrate this success on the podium, but this moment is indescribable. In our third year in the DTM, our goal was to be at the very front. We achieved that, and that’s exactly how we want to continue,” Dörr rejoiced.
After a downpour before the start, he began the race from tenth position on a rain-soaked track with Pirelli slicks, laying the foundation for his victory.
The youngster initially crossed the finish line in second place behind Lamborghini driver Marco Mapelli (I/Red Bull Team Abt), but a subsequent penalty against the Italian for an infringement during a yellow flag period resulted in Dörr being declared the winner.
Ricardo Feller (CH/Manthey) celebrated his first Porsche podium finish in the DTM. Like Mapelli, the Swiss driver received a 15-second time penalty after the race, but remained in third place in the corrected standings.
Shortly before the start of the fifth DTM race of the season, heavy rain began falling at the Lausitzring on Saturday afternoon, but it stopped just as the race began. Most teams still opted for Pirelli rain tires.
Some drivers, including pole-sitter Nicki Thiim (DK/Comtoyou Racing) as well as Dörr, Mapelli, Feller, and Marco Wittmann (Fürth/Schubert Motorsport), risked using slicks – but initially couldn’t match the pace of the field. This changed, however, as the asphalt dried out.
Shortly before the pit stop window, Thiim had regained the lead. Dörr was already in sixth place at that point.
Then events unfolded rapidly: When Timo Glock (Kreuzlingen/Dörr Motorsport) rolled to a stop on the track with technical problems in his McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, Thiim pitted for a tire change on lap 13. One lap later, the trio of Mapelli, Dörr, and Feller headed for the pits, just seconds before a full-course yellow flag brought the field to a halt.
The pit stops during the yellow period gave the trio a lead of over 20 seconds on Thiim. This order remained unchanged until the finish. Since Mapelli and Feller were traveling faster than the permitted 80 km/h during the yellow flag period, both were subsequently given time penalties, and Dörr was declared the winner. Mapelli and Feller finished in second and third place, respectively.
“That was a really good race for us,” Feller concluded. “I’m absolutely thrilled about my first DTM podium for Porsche and Manthey. In the first few laps, it was simply a matter of keeping the car on the track. Our game plan worked perfectly, and we also had a fantastic pit stop. Of course, I would have loved to fight for the win, but I simply lacked the pace.”
Thiim crossed the finish line at the Lausitzring in fourth place. Wittmann, also starting on dry tires, staged a strong comeback, improving from 18th to fifth. Lucas Auer (AUT/Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf) reclaimed the championship lead in sixth place.
Jules Gounon (FRA/Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter) finished the fifth race of the season in seventh, followed by Matteo Cairoli (ITA) in the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo in eighth. Ford driver Arjun Maini (IND/HRT Ford Performance) secured ninth place ahead of Kelvin van der Linde (ZA/Schubert Motorsport) in the BMW M4 GT3 Evo.
