Nicki Thiim Claims Second Norisring Victory and Takes DTM Championship Lead

Nicki Thiim had a flawless weekend at the Norisring in Nuremberg. After securing Aston Martin’s maiden DTM win on Saturday, he backed it up on Sunday. Starting from pole, the Comtoyou driver dominated the second race and took another victory.

“I’m incredibly proud,” Thiim said on ProSieben, adding that he now leads the overall standings. “It’s always been a dream to see the name back at the top—I think the last time was back in 1992. As a kid, that’s what I imagined.” His father, Kurt Thiim, finished runner-up in the DTM during that era and even captured the title in 1986.

“I never imagined I would one day lead the DTM championship,” the Aston Martin driver added. “I’m still overwhelmed. This whole weekend feels like a dream, and it’s simply unbelievable.”

Although Thiim had to fend off several challenges from HRT Ford rookie Finn Wiebelhaus, the 20-year-old could not find a way past despite multiple attempts. Lucas Auer (Landgraf‑Mercedes) rounded out the podium in third place.

Maro Engel annoyed with AMG sister team

Arjun Maini (HRT‑Ford) took fourth, with Jules Gounon (Winward‑Mercedes) and Thierry Vermeulen (Emil‑Frey‑Ferrari) fifth and sixth respectively. Former championship leader Maro Engel (Winward‑Mercedes) endured a tough race, climbing from twelfth to seventh, and consequently surrendered the points lead to Thiim.

“It was a demanding race; I gave it everything,” Engel remarked on ProSieben. “The start wasn’t ideal. On the wet tyres I managed to gain positions and steadily move forward. Unfortunately, a pit‑stop hiccup occurred.” At that moment, the AMG driver was held up briefly, allowing teammate Tom Kalender to pass.

“We had agreed that this wouldn’t happen,” Engel said, pointing to the Landgraf team. “We’ll review the incident later; it may have cost us a couple of positions.” He added that seventh place was the best he could achieve, noting his drop to third overall, and concluded, “We’ll take the points.”

Bastian Buus (Land‑Porsche), Thomas Preining (Manthey‑Porsche) and Marco Wittmann (Schubert‑BMW) appear to have gained from the latest Balance of Performance tweak, rounding out the top ten. Mirko Bortolotti (Grasser‑Lamborghini) finished in eleventh.

Rain shower causes another race stoppage

As on Saturday, Thiim turned his pole position into an early lead, with HRT Ford drivers Finn Wiebelhaus and Arjun Maini behind him. However, several rear‑end incidents in the midfield scattered debris, prompting the safety car’s deployment.

The incident hit Maro Engel hard—he sustained front‑end damage to his Winward‑Mercedes—and Matteo Cairoli, who also incurred a penalty lap for a jump‑start, fell to the rear of the pack.

The race had already been delayed fifteen minutes by a support‑race accident when, shortly after the restart, light rain began to fall at the Norisring. The safety‑car‑led restart turned into the first slide, though no drivers were injured at that point.

As the rain intensified, no driver opted to switch to wet tyres before the pit‑stop window, aiming to avoid unnecessary time loss. A clash between Cairoli and Marco Mapelli in the Abt‑Lamborghini triggered another safety‑car period.

Once more, the first corner proved problematic: Mapelli seemingly lost control of his Abt‑Lamborghini under braking and collected the Ferrari. Race control responded instantly, halting the event.

During the approximately ten‑minute hiatus, every team changed to rain tyres without losing time. The Winward crew also took the chance to effect a temporary fix on Engel’s Mercedes. Racing resumed after two flying laps behind the safety car.

Wiebelhaus and Thiim fight for the lead

After the break, the running order at the front stayed the same initially—Thiim held onto the lead ahead of Wiebelhaus, while Maini and Auer fought for third as they had the day before. This time, however, the Austrian driver came out on top.

Soon after the restart, the first pit‑stop window opened. Nevertheless, no one pitted immediately because the intermediate tyres remained advantageous despite the rain easing, while the racing line began to dry.

At the front, Wiebelhaus spotted an opportunity and pressured Thiim, but his attempt failed. Further back, Timo Glock was forced to retire his Dörr‑McLaren after clipping the “Wall of Champions,” which damaged the rear suspension.

Wiebelhaus was among the first to switch to slick tyres when they became the optimal choice again. Thiim followed three laps later, rejoining the track just ahead of the HRT‑Ford runner.

The 20‑year‑old, who had scored his maiden DTM podium at Lausitzring, brought his tyres up to temperature quickly and closed the gap. Consequently, Wiebelhaus lingered in Thiim’s slipstream, repeatedly pulling alongside the Aston Martin on the approach to Grundigkehre, although Thiim defended astutely.

Nicki Thiim celebrates his third DTM career victory

When the second pit‑stop window arrived, Wiebelhaus had fallen back again. Both the Ford driver and race leader Thiim delayed their second stops longer than most rivals, with Wiebelhaus making the first move.

Wiebelhaus’s potential undercut came to nothing, as the HRT team’s pit stops were imperfect this weekend. The Belgian Comtoyou squad was quicker, allowing Thiim to retain the lead after his second stop.

Thiim needed only to protect his advantage in the closing laps. Although Wiebelhaus closed to within under two seconds in the final stages, the Comtoyou driver secured his third DTM career win and crossed the line first.

Thiim now heads the overall standings after collecting the maximum 56 points available at Norisring, bringing his total to 117. Lucas Auer follows with 108 points, and Maro Engel falls to third with 105.

Following Saturday’s serious crash, only 19 cars lined up for the Sunday race. Maximilian Paul (Grasser‑Lamborghini) and Kelvin van der Linde (Schubert‑BMW) were sidelined—Paul with leg injuries and van der Linde with extensive car damage.

The DTM will now observe a three‑week hiatus, with the next two rounds scheduled for Motorsport Arena Oschersleben from July 24 to 26. Paul’s return looks unlikely owing to his leg injury, whereas van der Linde may be fit to drive his BMW M4 GT3 Evo at Schubert’s home event.

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