Klaus Weber · DTM Correspondent
After twelve years with Lamborghini, Grasser Racing Team could switch to McLaren in 2027, possibly taking Mirko Bortolotti with it. Nothing has been confirmed yet.
A brand switch has been the talk of the DTM paddock for weeks, and now the signs are growing stronger. According to Motorsport-Total.com, it is very likely that Grasser Racing Team will switch from Lamborghini to McLaren in 2027, and MOTORSPORT aktuell has also reported on a possible move. Lamborghini could also lose its best-known driver in Mirko Bortolotti. There has been no confirmation so far from Grasser, Bortolotti or McLaren.
Twelve years with Lamborghini up for grabs
Grasser has raced with Lamborghini for twelve years, so a switch would be more than a personnel matter for the brand. Abt Sportsline, which also runs Lamborghinis in the DTM, has already confirmed its future with the brand according to Motorsport-Total. McLaren was represented in the 2026 DTM by two cars from Dörr Motorsport and would gain an experienced GT3 team in Grasser.
The rumors carry weight partly because of one personnel move. Giorgio Sanna, formerly Lamborghini’s head of motorsport, has been working in McLaren’s GT division for around a year. Even so, the switch has not been confirmed, and that remains the key caveat.
Bortolotti’s open future
Bortolotti has driven for Lamborghini since 2015 and his contract runs out at the end of 2026. Back in August the 36-year-old said his future was open, and shortly afterwards he explained that no decision had been made. After the Lamborghini World Final at Monza in late October he wrote “Hell of a Ride” on Instagram, which can be read as a farewell, but doesn’t have to be. In the DTM, he says he wants to keep racing in 2027.
In sporting terms, 2026 did little to tie him to Lamborghini. After the SSR team folded he drove for Grasser, in a season marked by problems with the Temerario GT3 and two disqualifications. He lost his win at Oschersleben over a wheel bearing, and the FIA court is expected to rule on whether that was correct. His title defense with Abt in 2025 had already ended in 14th place overall.
What a switch would mean
For the DTM, it would be a shift in the manufacturer field. McLaren would expand its presence, while Lamborghini would lose in Grasser a team that has been closely tied to the brand for twelve years, and in Bortolotti the driver who won Lamborghini’s first DTM drivers’ title in 2024.
The report itself points out one caveat: a move to McLaren would not automatically mean a seat for Bortolotti in the Hypercar that McLaren will race in the WEC from 2027. The prototype program belongs to McLaren Racing, the GT business to McLaren Automotive. Only official announcements will bring clarity on both questions.
