Porsche driver Thomas Preining harshly criticizes the BoP and hints at retirement: Why even the “catering staff” would pass him
Former DTM champion Thomas Preining, who has already won three times at the Norisring, lost his temper after finishing ninth in Saturday’s DTM race in Nuremberg. “It’s relatively obvious that this has nothing to do with sports,” the Porsche factory driver rants about the Balance of Performance (BoP). “Our pace is absolutely terrible. It’s no fun at all. The countdown to my vacation has begun.”
That’s his focus now, because his flight leaves at 7 p.m. after Sunday’s race. “I’m looking forward to that, because there’s absolutely nothing positive here,” the 27-year-old says, unable to hide his frustration. The current situation is jeopardizing his future in the DTM. “I’m really close to saying: This isn’t getting me anywhere anymore, I’m quitting,” he says, even speaking openly about a possible retirement.
Sunday’s race likely didn’t dispel those thoughts either: Although the Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo was 30 kilograms lighter than in Saturday’s qualifying—where Preining finished 15th—Preining, as the top Porsche driver, couldn’t get past 11th on the grid. In the race, he finished ninth again. That doesn’t meet the expectations of the “Grello” driver, who is aiming to win his second DTM title.
“You can put the caterers in the car”
Particularly bitter: On Saturday, Preining had been propelled from 11th to 4th place by his pit stop just before the horrific crash that triggered a full-course yellow; however, at the restart, he stood no chance against his pursuers and was pushed back to ninth place. “This is just complete bullshit!” he complained over the radio, noting that his rivals needed only 200 meters to pass him.
“I tried to make the Porsche as wide as possible, but at the end of the day, you could put the catering staff into the other cars—and they’d still pass you,” the Austrian remarked sarcastically after the race.
The main problem, he said, was the lack of speed on the straights. The Porsche finished at the bottom of the rankings in top speed measurements at the Norisring on every day: Preining was usually about ten km/h slower than the leading Ford Mustang race cars.
“I’m the best overtaker in the DTM and I have zero overtaking maneuvers”
And this despite the fact that, ahead of the weekend, the Porsche was fitted with the large No. 43 restrictor—which is 1.5 millimeters larger than the one used during Preining’s victory at the Norisring last year—a change that was compensated for with 30 kilograms of ballast, which was subsequently removed by Sunday following two BoP adjustments. There are doubts in the paddock as to whether the large restrictor really delivers that much power, since the small Porsche boxer engine is already operating at its limit.
Preining agrees. “It doesn’t help at all,” he says. “We don’t stand a chance; we’ve basically been nowhere all year. At the Red Bull Ring, we were lucky that the others were still in hibernation and that we figured out the tires faster—otherwise, we only benefit from mistakes,” Preining explains the unfavorable course of the season following his home victory at the season opener.
He also can no longer capitalize on his well-known overtaking prowess in 2026. “I’ve overtaken a lot in my career. In my opinion, I’m the best overtaker in the DTM,” says Preining. “So far this year, I’ve had zero overtaking maneuvers. Zero overtaking attempts, too, because it’s simply hopeless. We’re so far behind,” he says, frustrated.
One possible explanation for the lack of top speed is that the Evo version of the Porsche 911 GT3 R, introduced this year, generates more drag than the base car used through the end of 2025. For example, the rear wing was fitted with a four-millimeter Gurney flap, which provides more downforce and reduces top speed—and was actually intended to widen the setup window.
