Preining Converts Pole to Win at Oschersleben as Engel Takes DTM Lead

The result sharpens scrutiny of DTM’s Balance of Performance after a slow pit stop and tyre failures reshuffled the title race.

Overview

Thomas Preining took pole in qualifying with a 1:21.862 and led from the start to win Race 1 at Oschersleben, giving Porsche its second victory of the season.
Luca Engstler finished second for Abt-Lamborghini after Maro Engel lost time in the pits when his left-front wheel jammed and dropped him to third.
Maro Engel moved into the drivers’ championship lead after Race 1, sitting six points clear of Lucas Auer and one point ahead of Nicki Thiim with nine of 16 races completed.
Nicki Thiim dropped to 12th in the race and relinquished the points lead, blaming an unfavourable Balance of Performance classification and assigned success ballast for his Aston Martin’s lack of pace.
Teams and technical staff, including Emil Frey’s Jurg Flach, pointed to measurable BoP deficits and the season’s success-ballast rules as the source of weekend performance swings that make pit stops and reliability decisive for the title fight.