Klaus Weber · DTM Correspondent
The DTM championship will be decided at Hockenheimring this weekend, with six drivers from five manufacturers still mathematically in contention for the title.
From October 9-11, the DTM field gathers for the final race of the 2026 season at Hockenheimring, where up to 56 points are on offer across two races Saturday and Sunday (25 per win, 3 per pole position). According to the standings published by dtm.com, Thomas Preining leads the championship in the Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R with 197 points, followed by Maro Engel in the Winward Mercedes-AMG with 174 and Marco Wittmann in the Schubert BMW M4 GT3 EVO with 173. Preining's advantage stands at 23 points over Engel and 24 over Wittmann. The outcome of both races will determine whether Preining claims his second title since 2023 or if one of his challengers overtakes him.
Six drivers, five manufacturers, tight title fight at the top
The situation heading into Hockenheim is tightly bunched: behind Preining, Engel (-23) and Wittmann (-24) are separated by just one point, followed by Lucas Auer in the Landgraf Mercedes with 152 points (-45), Matteo Cairoli in the Emil Frey Ferrari 296 GT3 with 150 (-47), and Nicki Thiim in the ComToYou Aston Martin with 147 points (-50). Mathematically, six drivers from five manufacturers remain in the championship fight, including Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Ferrari, and Aston Martin.
For Preining, that means two second-place finishes would secure the title regardless, since even with two wins and both pole positions, Engel would reach just 230 points while Preining would have 237. A retirement or a weak weekend could quickly erode his advantage, however.
Wittmann's closing surge and Engel's quest for redemption
Two-time DTM champion Marco Wittmann has collected 79 points over the past four races, more than any other driver in the field, and has closed to within one point of Engel. This form makes Wittmann one of the drivers with the most to gain at Hockenheim.
Maro Engel, meanwhile, led the championship after four of seven rounds and lost the top spot only to Preining at the last race. With a 23-point deficit, he needs a strong Saturday to keep his title chances alive. Preining himself accumulated 76 points over the past four races and took over the lead in the standings at the last round.
Schedule: Two qualifying sessions, two races, one coronation
The format follows the familiar DTM double-header structure. On Friday, October 9, two free practice sessions run from 12:05 to 13:00 and 15:30 to 16:15. On Saturday, October 10, qualifying from 9:35 to 9:55 sets the grid for Race 1, which starts at 13:30 and runs for 55 minutes plus one lap. On Sunday, October 11, after the second qualifying session (9:30 to 9:50), the season finale begins at 16:30, also for 55 minutes plus one lap, followed by the championship podium ceremony at Parc Fermé.
Alongside the DTM, the ADAC GT Masters, ADAC GT4 Germany, Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland, and BMW M2 Cup will crown their 2026 champions the same weekend, adding extra significance to the finale.
