Preining Dominates Oschersleben Opener, Engel Claims DTM Lead

Balance of Performance tweaks, success ballast and a jammed pit-stop wheel reshaped the order and prompted heated driver criticism.

Overview

Thomas Preining converted Friday practice pace into pole and a controlled victory in Race 1 at Oschersleben, leading from the start and winning by 1.601 seconds.
A slow pit stop for Maro Engel caused by a jammed left-front wheel cost him second place and proved decisive for the podium order.
Maro Engel moved into the drivers' championship lead after Race 1 while Luca Auer and Nicki Thiim sit closely behind in a tightly bunched top three.
Nicki Thiim struggled all weekend and finished outside the top 10, publicly blaming Balance of Performance and success ballast after his Aston Martin carried extra race weight.
Several race-changing incidents including first-lap contact that eliminated Ben Dorr, punctures that forced retirements for Jules Gounon and Marco Wittmann, and other on-track problems underlined how operational errors and car balance are swinging the midseason title fight.