Heat and Smoke Dazzle Nürburgring
Under a blistering 36‑degree sun and a haze of smoke from a nearby forest fire, Porsche Manthey’s Thomas Preining clocked the fastest lap in DTM practice at the Nürburgring with a 1:25.517 time, edging teammate Ricardo Feller by 0.249 seconds.
Preining’s lap sits a mere 0.399 seconds shy of Mirko Bortolotti’s 2023 qualifying record of 1:25.118, hinting that tomorrow’s spec‑tyre session could push the record further.
Porsche Dominates Practice
BMW’s Marco Wittmann, who only switched to the new tyre set at the start of the second session, captured third with a 1:25.815, while Kelvin van der Linde’s 1:25.832 secured fourth.
Nicki Thiim trailed the top quartet by 0.531 seconds, and the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo driver – currently second in the overall standings – rounded out the front‑row cluster after last weekend’s slump.
Penalties, Incidents & Penalties
HRT’s Ford duo, Finn Wiebelhaus and Arjun Maini, must serve a drive‑through penalty on Saturday because the team previously tested the cars on the track with the FIA‑Platinum driver Frank Stippler, breaching the testing regulations.
Finn Wiebelhaus edged Ben Dörr by 0.549 seconds for seventh, and the pair’s performance straddled the leaders more closely than initial expectations suggested.
Encounters & Benchmarks
Matteo Cairoli, who topped the first session with a 1:26.144 lap, finished ninth for the day – 0.627 seconds off the leaders – and Lucas Auer, the first‑session leader, trailed by 0.680 seconds.
Marco Mapelli’s Abt Lamborghini stalled 13 minutes into the second session, triggering a full‑course yellow and a tow; Mapelli resumed but settled in 10th, remaining the quickest Lamborghini.
Christian Engelhart, substituting for Maximilian Paul at the Grasser Lamborghini, posted 1:27.538 in the first session (the slowest of the day) and improved to 1:26.478 in the second, 0.961 seconds off the best time and finishing 16th overall.
Saturday’s Qualifying Outlook
On Saturday, teams will likely benefit from low tyre degradation, allowing two to three overtly fast laps after the out‑lap and two preparation runs, especially with the weather forecast predicting up to ten degrees cooler on Sunday.
As the weekend progresses, the shifting temperatures and early dominance from Porsche hint that the final confrontation on Saturday could upend this morning’s rhythm.
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