Will Maro Engel make his DTM anniversary season his championship-winning year?

Maro Engel’s season has taken a completely different course to that of DTM championship leader Thomas Preining. After a strong first half of the year, the Mercedes-AMG driver led the championship for a long time. Recently, however, things have not gone to plan for the usually consistent Engel; at the Sachsenring, he had to relinquish the championship lead to Preining. Engel currently trails the championship leader in his Porsche by 23 points.

But with a 23-point deficit, anything is still possible for the Monaco-based driver at the season finale. “For me, it’s something special to be fighting for the DTM title at Hockenheim for the third year running,” emphasises Mercedes-AMG veteran Maro Engel. “I’m really looking forward to it and I’m keen to see how the races go.”

The runner-up in the standings is already contesting his tenth DTM season with the brand bearing the star this year, making him one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. It is precisely this experience that Engel hopes to capitalise on at Hockenheim and crown his anniversary season with the first DTM title of his career.

The 41-year-old got off to a strong start to the season, winning the second race at the Red Bull Ring. He then continued to score points consistently and secured a second victory at Oschersleben. However, at the Nürburgring, an unnecessary collision with his team-mate Lucas Auer – who is also still in the running for the title – ensued, resulting in both Mercedes-AMG cars being forced out of the race. Furthermore, at the Sachsenring, he appeared over-eager during the final restart, collided with Kelvin van der Linde and received a penalty that knocked him out of the points.

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10.10.2026 - 12:55