DTM Preview: Norisring
- Ayla Krachai
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
DTM takes to the streets of Nuremberg this weekend for the fourth weekend of the season: The 2026 DTM Norisring weekend takes place from 3rd - 5th of July. Will last year's winner, Thomas Preining (A/Manthey), keep his top step on the podium or will one of this year's contenders take the lead on these German streets?
This weekend, the 2026 DTM season reaches its halfway point with rounds seven and eight taking place at Germany’s only street circuit. Despite featuring only four corners, the anti-clockwise layout places huge demands on the drivers and their cars, with heavy braking zones and long straights providing the best overtaking opportunities.
The narrow track between barriers and walls around the historic stone grandstands requires precision work and demands complete concentration from the drivers due to the combination of concrete walls, metal barriers and an uneven road surface that leaves incredibly small margins for error.
Brandenburg’s influence on this weekend
Maro Engel (Mercedes) lost his championship lead to Matteo Cairoli (Emil Frey Racing) after the Italian won race two at the Lausitzring in Brandenburg. Cairoli is the first driver to win two races in the current DTM season and, after six races, now leads the championship.
The Mercedes-AMG duo of Engel and Lucas Auer (Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf) follow in second and third place, just one point behind the Italian. Cairoli has considerably less Norisring experience than these close rivals of his, having only raced at the circuit once in 2015. His lead is most certainly at risk this weekend.
Nicki Thiim (Comtoyou Racing) came home second, just 0.413 seconds behind the winner, to earn Aston Martin its first podium in the history of the DTM. Cairoli said after his victory: “Thiim really made me sweat it out - and it was already hot enough anyway. He put me under unbelievable pressure in the final few laps. My tyres were pretty much dead and the heat was extremely challenging”.
Thiim has particularly fond memories of the street circuit. “I won my first DTM race at the Norisring in 2024. That was an incredible experience. The circuit is an absolute highlight and gives you an adrenalin rush in the cockpit. It is a dream for any driver to race there. We are going to put on a good show.”
He currently lies in sixth place in the championship after finishing second place at race 2 at the Lausitzring. The Aston Martin driver will aim to recreate that breakthrough result in 2024 as Comtoyou Racing continues its first DTM season.
Thiim is six points behind Mclaren driver, Ben Dörr, who extended the high of his second-place finish at Zandvoort just over a month ago by winning race 1 at the Lausitzring. This gave Mclaren their first DTM win in the constructors history and meant that there have been five different winners in the first five races of this season.
The youngster initially took the chequered flag in second place, behind Lamborghini driver Marco Mapelli (Red Bull Team Abt). However, the Italian was penalised for an offence during a yellow flag, leaving Dörr to inherit the victory. The Mclaren driver is certainly experiencing his best season thus far: can Thiim challenge his winning streak this weekend as a previous Norisring champion?
At the 2025 Norisring DTM weekend, Dörr finished 17th and 15th in the two races, proving to be less contestable at this circuit compared to Thiim. The battle for 5th in the standings is predicted to be intense this weekend.
Eyes will also be on home favourite, Marco Wittmann (BMW), as he lines up at his 13th DTM weekend at his home circuit in fourth place. He said: “The atmosphere at the Norisring is awesome. For me, it is a huge pleasure to race at this unique street circuit in front of my family, the home crowd and my fan club.”
Wittmann will receive plenty of local support throughout the weekend and mechanical support from Schubert Motorsport who can provide him with an opportunity to challenge at the front.
The narrow Norisring layout regularly produces close racing, strategic battles and incidents. With Cairoli, Engel and Auer separated by only one point at the top of the standings, the 2026 edition could have a major influence on the direction of the championship for both the leaders and the midfield.
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