DTM tire changes are now the linchpin behind Porsche Manthey’s recent drop, as drivers and ADAC insiders point to the new Pirelli spec as the culprit.
Thomas Preining, who won the opening round at Spielberg, slammed the Balance‑of‑Performance system at the Norisring and blamed the updated tyre for eroding Porsche’s longstanding dominant braking and cornering feel. “All the weaknesses we ever had with the Porsche disappeared once we had the new tire; it can handle longitudinal load, it has more grip,” he said, adding that straight‑line speed had become a new weakness.
Preining’s point about longitudinal capability refers to the tyre’s improved ability to sustain traction while accelerating or braking, a property that the previous DHG compound could not match. With the new DTM‑specific Pirelli road tyre, the grip loss during deceleration is markedly reduced, allowing competitors to match Porsche’s historically superior braking.
During an early March trial at Vallelunga, Manthey encountered setbacks when Pirelli pushed several tyre options to finalise the DTM spec. Reports of rear‑tyre damage forced the team to terminate essential runs, and senior Manthey officials later advocated maintaining the older DHG tyre.
That episode also exposed the fine tuning Manthey had crafted for the DHG compound. Their set‑up, fine‑tuned over years for the 911 GT3 Evo’s kinematics, required a fundamental shift to pair with the new Pirelli tyres, a shift made difficult by the limited testing window the ADAC grants teams.
Preining highlighted that the Porsche had an advantage at the Spielberg debut because other teams “were still hibernating” and the German driver “understood the tyre faster.” He added that the benefit came mainly from rivals’ mistakes rather than a sustained performance edge.
Manthey’s only private “Joker” test on 14 July at the Nürburgring offered a chance to refine the new‑tyre set‑up. Hot, dry conditions rolled into a rain shower, complicating data collection. Whether the knowledge gained translates into podiums remains to be seen as the next race at Oschersleben could favor the Porsche’s adapted setup.
In a sport where testing days are scarce, the combination of a new DTM tire and the intricate technical balancing act required by the 911 GT3 Evo makes quick adaptation a tall order for Manthey, but the recent August test may be the first step toward reviving the team’s championship competitiveness.
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