Will Timo Glock lose two important confidants at his McLaren team in 2026? Why the chief engineer has to leave and why his race engineer’s position is also uncertain
The McLaren team Dörr Motorsport, for which Timo Glock competed in the DTM this season, is facing a major upheaval. Following the appointment of motorsport legend Volker Strycek as the new GT3 manager, the team is parting ways with chief engineer Richard Selwin after just one year. The Brit, who led Glock to the GP2 title as his race engineer in 2007, also played a key role in his DTM comeback.
There are also rumors that race engineer Kevin Mirocha, another of Glock’s confidants, will no longer be part of the team in 2026. How does the former Formula 1 driver react to this? “I had a great relationship with both of them, and as a team we took a huge step forward thanks to them,”
“I don’t understand why they want to make changes on my side of the garage, but Volker Strycek is the new man making the decisions,” he says, referring to the 68-year-old racing driver and former Opel racing director, who is now in charge of the Dörr team.
Why does Glock’s former GP2 race engineer have to leave?
In fact, it looks as if the team around Glock’s teammate Ben Dörr will remain unchanged: With race engineer Erich Baumgärtner, who looked after Jamie Green in the Class 1 era of the DTM with the Rosberg Audi team, the team has agreed to work together in 2026.
Strictly speaking, Selwin was responsible for both cars as chief engineer, but due to their shared history, he is considered Glock’s confidant. But how does the team explain the personnel decisions?
The fact that the highly experienced Briton Selwin is no longer being retained after just one year has to do with “the fact that we don’t want to fill the position anymore,” “It has nothing to do with his work or anything else.”
The arrival of Strycek, who himself has experience in vehicle development and reports directly to team owner Rainer Dörr, is also not the reason for the decision. “It’s partly for budgetary reasons,” explains Funke. Who will now take over Selwin’s duties? “We’ll transfer them to the existing engineering team,” says the team manager, referring to the two engineers per car plus technical director Robin Dörr.
“Maybe we’ll find someone who can get even more out of Timo.”
But what about the future of Glock’s race engineer Kevin Mirocha? The former racing driver was brought in by Glock himself and, as a former racing driver, also provided the team with valuable input in terms of video and onboard analysis. Glock also repeatedly spoke very positively about the collaboration with his race engineer during the season.
“They work very well together—and Kevin has also provided a lot of input this year, but we are now questioning everything,” explains Funke. “All personnel matters are under review.” No decision has been made for or against Mirocha yet, but Funke says, “Maybe we’ll find someone who can get even more out of Timo.”
Isn’t there a fear that a new race engineer could have a negative impact on the former Formula 1 driver’s satisfaction with the team, despite the apparent chemistry between Glock and Mirocha? “In the end, we’ll make a decision and consider: What’s best for the team and the team’s further development?” replies Funke. “I can’t ask every mechanic who they want to work with.”
Will Glock continue his DTM career? Here’s what the Dörr team has to say
Apart from that, there could also be “a scenario where we hire another engineer for the engineering on the car—and Kevin stays on board and does what he does best,” he says, seeing a future for Mirocha in the team in a different position. Funke trusts in the expertise and experience of GT3 manager Strycek.
Is it still the plan for Glock to race for the team in the DTM alongside Ben Dörr in 2026? “Exactly,” replies Funke. This is also stipulated in the contract, as the five-time DTM race winner signed a two-year deal with the McLaren team from Frankfurt upon his return to the DTM. Glock also completed the Pirelli tire test with Dörr for the 2026 DTM season at the end of November in Le Castellet.
