Why the BoP points to a difficult home race for the Manthey team and what Ford’s chances are after its double victory in the GT Masters in the Eifel region
The ADAC has published the Balance of Performance (BoP) compiled by the SRO Motorsports Group for the start of the second half of the DTM season at the Nürburgring (all information on TV times, streaming, etc.). And it differs for all cars – in some cases significantly – from the Norisring, which is not surprising given the atypical track layout in Nuremberg.
The change is particularly exciting for the Porsche 911 GT3 R: the Manthey team, which is currently in second place in the championship with Thomas Preining, will have to make do with the two-millimeter smaller restrictor again at their home race, which has only been used in the car so far this season at the season opener in Oschersleben. This will have a negative effect on performance.
In addition, compared to the Norisring, where “Grello” driver Preining scored his first win of the season, the car will be carrying ten kilograms of extra weight. But the comparison with last year is also negative for Manthey.
Porsche also significantly lighter in the recent ADAC GT Masters
At that time, the restrictor was also set to a diameter of 39.5 millimeters, but the car was 20 kilograms lighter. How does the Porsche compare with the ADAC GT Masters, which was already a guest at the Nürburgring around a month ago as part of the Truck Grand Prix?
Exactly the same, because there too, the Porsche was 20 kilograms lighter on the same track. So it looks like Manthey will have to draw on all its Nürburgring expertise to be back among the front-runners.
The Mercedes and Lamborghini will have their Norisring restrictors, which are 1.5 and one millimeter larger, respectively, removed and replaced with the models used this season, as Audi has done. Both cars are five kilograms lighter than they were at the ADAC GT Masters weekend – and slightly less favorably classified than in 2024 at the Nürburgring.
20 kilograms more for BMW compared to 2024
For BMW, the comparison with the Norisring is not so serious, but it is with last year’s final BoP at the Nürburgring: a year ago, the M4 GT3, with which Sheldon van der Linde won without the Evo package, was 20 kilograms lighter, with slight variations in boost pressure.
This year, however, there is a mandatory minimum rear wing angle compared to 2025, which will return to the Eifel after the Norisring break and is intended to prevent excessive top speeds. The BMW rear wing may be set one degree flatter than in Zandvoort.
However, the turbocharged car from Munich is classified similarly to the ADAC GT Masters and weighs five kilograms less in the DTM.
What are Mustang’s chances after its GT Masters victory?
But what is possible for the Ford Mustang at HRT’s home race? The team scored its first victory in Europe in the ADAC GT Masters on the Eifel circuit, and the Ford team has also made significant progress in the DTM recently, as Arjun Maini’s fifth place at the Norisring proves.
But team boss Ulrich Fritz warns against excessive optimism: “Our balance of performance has deteriorated slightly compared to the GT Masters.” The Mustang will carry ten kilograms of ballast compared to the Norisring, with the same restrictor. This puts the car in the same class as in the ADAC GT Masters – with one difference: instead of six degrees, the rear wing must be set to at least eight degrees, which costs top speed.
However, apart from the significantly higher level in the DTM, this is not the only difference to the GT Masters weekend. “There was more mechanical grip there again because of the Truck Grand Prix,” says Fritz. “And that helps our car above average. We no longer have that advantage in the DTM.”
The prediction of the former DTM boss at Mercedes-AMG? “We won’t be in the lead, quite the contrary. Top 10 would be optimistic.”
What’s the deal with Ferrari’s boost pressure?
Timo Glock, on the other hand, could have a good chance after changing cars: Following a difficult weekend last year, when the team suffered from a mechanical problem, the McLaren will have slightly more boost pressure than in 2024 – and five kilograms less weight.
Another notable aspect of the BoP is that the Ferrari has to sacrifice 0.41 bar of boost pressure in the lowest rev range compared to the Norisring, which is an enormous amount. However, this is specific to the Norisring, as the 296 GT3 otherwise cannot get out of the corners there.
At the Nürburgring, the values return to normal. Compared to 2024, there is more boost pressure across the board, but also ten kilograms more ballast.
