Marco Wittmann has moved back into contention for the 2026 DTM championship after completing his strongest weekend of the season at the Nürburgring. The BMW M works driver followed a third-place finish Saturday with a victory Sunday, earning his first DTM win since Zandvoort in 2024 and the 20th of his career.
The result also lifted the two-time champion to fifth in the driver standings with 135 points. Wittmann now sits 25 points behind the championship leader with four races remaining.
Wittmann Delivers Two Podiums at the Nürburgring
Wittmann and the #11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 Evo qualified fourth for Saturday’s race and turned that starting position into a podium finish. He crossed the line third as Ferrari driver Matteo Cairoli took the victory.
The result was already significant for BMW and Schubert Motorsport after several difficult weekends during the middle portion of the season. Sunday, however, produced an even bigger result.
Wittmann qualified sixth and gained positions during a chaotic race that began with a multi-car accident in the opening corner. The incident eliminated several contenders, including Wittmann’s BMW teammate Kelvin van der Linde.
BMW Driver Holds Off Late Challenge
Wittmann moved toward the front during the final third of the race, but the victory remained uncertain. Thomas Preining pressured him in the Porsche before 18-year-old Mercedes-AMG driver Tom Kalender made a late charge on fresher tires.
Kalender passed Preining for second and quickly closed the gap to Wittmann during the final laps. Wittmann held on to win by just 0.517 seconds, with Preining completing the podium.
“After some difficult events this season, finally everything went right from Friday onwards,” Wittmann said in BMW’s race report. “Many thanks to my team, who got the strategy spot on and delivered perfect pit stops.”
BMW’s 2026 DTM Season Remains Inconsistent
BMW has now won two races during the 2026 DTM season. Van der Linde secured the first at Zandvoort, where Wittmann also climbed from 13th to finish third.
Zandvoort has historically been strong for BMW overall. Wittmann also opened the season with fifth and second-place finishes at the Red Bull Ring, establishing himself as BMW’s most consistent early championship contender.
The following rounds were more challenging. BMW lacked front-running pace at the Lausitzring, while the Norisring brought a tire failure for Wittmann and a frightening accident for van der Linde.
Wittmann salvaged fourth place at Schubert Motorsport’s home race in Oschersleben. BMW then arrived at the Nürburgring needing a major points haul to remain in the championship conversation.
Schubert Motorsport Moves Into Third
Wittmann’s Nürburgring performance delivered the points BMW needed. Schubert Motorsport now sits third in the team standings with 201 points, 30 behind the leader.
Van der Linde, meanwhile, endured two retirements at the Nürburgring after a technical problem on Saturday and the start-line accident on Sunday.
2026 DTM Championship Battle Continues
The DTM season resumes at the Sachsenring in September before concluding with two races at Hockenheim in October.
With only 25 points separating Wittmann from the championship lead and four races remaining, his Nürburgring victory has put BMW’s two-time champion back within reach of the 2026 driver title.
