Racing debut and record holder at just 17 years of age: Which DTM starter is the youngest driver in history and which current Formula 1 star ranks in the top 10?
On April 26, 2025, Landgraf driver Tom Kalender set a new DTM record: The Mercedes-AMG junior driver competed in his first DTM race at the season opener in Oschersleben – at just 17 years and one month of age. This made him the youngest starter in the history of the series to date.
Kalender replaced the previous record holder – and surprisingly, that is not Pascal Wehrlein, who was long considered the youngest DTM starter. The 2015 DTM champion made his racing debut in the series on May 5, 2013, in Hockenheim, at the age of 18 years, 6 months, and 17 days.
In the recent past, however, there was another driver who, like Kalender, made his debut while still a minor: in the 2022 season, BMW driver Theo Oeverhaus made his debut in a guest start at the Nürburgring. He was 17 years, 8 months, and 9 days old at the time and also secured a place in the history books.
A look at the top 10 youngest DTM drivers also shows how far back these statistics go: Peter Terting and Michael Bartels, two names from earlier DTM eras, are also included. Bartels completed his first DTM race in the 1987 season, at the age of 19 years, 2 months, and 23 days.
There are also names that have almost been forgotten: Audi driver Johannes Seidlitz made his debut in 2009 at the age of 18, while his brand colleague Marius Zug had already turned 18 in the 2022 season. Most of the drivers have now ended their active careers or are competing in other racing series.
Apart from record holder Kalender, only one other driver from the top 10 youngest DTM starters is currently still active in the series. Find out who it is and which current Formula 1 driver also appears in the list of the ten youngest DTM drivers of all time.
