MUNICH — The DTM presents a top-class field of participants in 2026, featuring drivers from 11 nations and eight leading international brands.
For the first time in the series’ more than 40-year history, the season will kick off in Austria. The action starts at the Red Bull Ring from April 24-26.
“The quality of the DTM driver lineup is enormous, and drivers from eleven nations underline the series’ high international relevance,” emphasizes ADAC Motorsport Director Thomas Voss. “We are looking forward to three former champions, stars like Timo Glock, the comeback of Kelvin van der Linde, top-class newcomers, and the exciting debut of Road to DTM winner Finn Wiebelhaus, who has made the leap into the DTM.”
Three DTM champions will start in the 2026 season, with 11 DTM race winners on the grid. Among them is Mirko Bortolotti (ITA), the 2024 titleholder, who joins Maximilian Paul at TGI Team by GRT and, like his Lamborghini teammates at Red Bull Team Abt, will debut the new Temerario GT3. Bortolotti, like Thomas Preining (AUT), is aiming for his second title.
Preining, the 2023 champion, continues to drive for Manthey and pilots a new Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo. Marco Wittmann (Schubert Motorsport) has his sights set on his third title: The BMW factory driver from Fürth, with 210 DTM starts, is one of the most experienced drivers and, with two titles, one of the most successful in the series’ history.
Wittmann faces stiff competition from within his own team: Kelvin van der Linde (ZA) returns to the DTM and aims to secure his first title in the BMW M3 GT4 Evo. The South African will be up against his former teammate Ricardo Feller (CH), who has also switched brands, now driving for Porsche and taking over last season’s championship-winning car at Manthey. Lucas Auer (A), who battled for the title until the final lap in 2025, is also ready for the championship.
The Austrian will continue to drive for Mercedes-AMG, but will now sport a spectacular Adidas livery. Mercedes-AMG, last year’s manufacturers’ champions, will enter the season with an unchanged quartet consisting of Auer, Maro Engel, Jules Gounon (F), and young talent Tom Kalender.
Timo Glock also demonstrates consistency. The former Formula 1 driver and five-time DTM race winner is entering his second season with McLaren and Dörr Motorsport. Ben Dörr will drive the second McLaren in his third DTM year.
Nicki Thiim (DK) hopes for a breakthrough in a familiar car: The Aston Martin factory driver has previously competed in the DTM with Lamborghini and will now start for the first time in the familiar Aston Martin Vantage GT3. He will compete for Comtoyou from Belgium together with Nicolas Baert (B).
Red Bull Team Abt, the most successful team in the field, has restructured: In a swap with Bortolotti, who moved to Grasser, Luca Engstler joins Abt and will drive one of two new Temerario GT3s. For Engstler, it’s a true home race – he grew up just a few kilometers from Abt’s team headquarters in Kempten.
Lamborghini factory driver Marco Mapelli (Italy) will be in the second Red Bull Team Abt car. The Italian is one of four drivers in the field making their DTM debut in 2026. This also includes his compatriot Matteo Cairoli (Italy), who aims to cause a sensation in the pink Ferrari supported by water technology company BWT. He will be chasing Ferrari victories for Emil Frey Racing, together with Thierry Vermeulen (Netherlands).
As winner of the “Road to DTM” junior classification in the ADAC GT Masters, Finn Wiebelhaus from Obertshausen has made the leap into the DTM. Wiebelhaus will start as teammate to Arjun Maini (IND) in one of the two Ford Mustangs of HRT Ford Racing. Also new to the grid is Bastian Buus (DK), who will compete in the Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo of Land-Motorsport.
