The current champion Ayhancan Güven will leave the DTM and will not defend his title in the 2026 season – why this is rare, but not unprecedented
Since Monday, it has been officially confirmed that this year’s DTM champion Ayhancan Güven will not defend his title in the 2026 season. The 27-year-old Turkish driver, who clinched the title in the last race, is moving to the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and thus relinquishing his DTM crown without a fight.
The fact that there is no defending champion in the DTM is rare, but not unprecedented: in the racing series’ more than 40-year history, there have been several champions who ended their careers, at least temporarily, and did not defend their titles in the season following their great triumph.
Belgian Eric van de Poele, DTM champion in 1987, was the first: the BMW driver did not have a regular cockpit in 1988 and thus relinquished his title without a fight. He only returned for two races at the finale in Hockenheim, and in the following years he only competed in selected races. He never drove a full DTM season again.
Roberto Ravaglia, who won the DTM title in the 1989 season, also largely turned his back on the series the following year. Instead, the Italian competed in a Toyota 90C at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the World Sportscar Championship. In the DTM, Ravaglia only drove two races at the Norisring in Nuremberg in 1990. In the 1992 season, the BMW driver returned for a full season, but was unable to win another title. In the “new” DTM from 2000 onwards, there were also several champions who did not compete in the series in the year after winning the title. One of the drivers before Ayhancan Güven who decided not to defend their title was Pascal Wehrlein.
The youngest overall winner in DTM history turned his back on the series because he made the leap to Formula 1 after winning the title.
