‘Free Agent’: Nicki Thiim without an Aston Martin contract – what’s next?

Nicki Thiim has announced that his Aston Martin contract is coming to an end and his future remains unclear: after a strong 2026 season, is he risking another change of car?

What does 2027 hold for Nicki Thiim? As the 37-year-old Dane has announced on Instagram, his Aston Martin works contract expires at the end of the season. “From Daytona to Portimão, it’s been an incredible journey with you all and Aston Martin – with major victories, historic moments in the DTM and some major setbacks,” writes Thiim, thanking his fans for their support throughout the 2026 season.

Following the season finale of the GT World Challenge Europe (GTWCE) in Portimão, he says it is now time to take a break. “Now that I’m on the open market, let’s see what 2027 brings,” Thiim announced, indicating that his future is currently unclear – and describing himself in the original English text as a “free agent”.

But what does that mean? Thiim, who is managed by Dennis Rostek, most recently signed a new Aston Martin contract at the end of 2023, which was intended to be a long-term deal at the time. Apparently, it was a three-year contract.

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However, his departure would come as a major surprise – and is considered highly unlikely.

Thiim has been part of the Aston Martin works team since 2013 and would be competing in his 15th consecutive season for the historic British brand in 2027. In 2026, he made his breakthrough in the DTM during his first year with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, securing two wins, three podium finishes and three pole positions. He also became the halfway-point champion, even though he could not finish higher than seventh in the second half of the season.

The DTM title is Thiim’s stated goal for the rest of his career. After all, the son of former DTM champion Kurt Thiim has already claimed victories in the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps – and was GT class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

“I’m hoping for next year, because we’ve learnt an awful lot”

The championship title in his stated favourite series is still eluding him. According to his own statements, he had “not expected at all” that he would be in contention for the title as early as 2026, in his first DTM season with the Comtoyou team. Instead, he had assumed it would be a “learning year”.

“This year, you have to look at the bigger picture,” “It’s only the second year for them and the first year for me in this car.”

“And when you think about it: Mercedes have been racing here for ten years with the same car, and so have Porsche. That’s why I’m hoping for next year, because we’ve learnt an awful lot now – and then things could get interesting again.”

Will Thiim risk another car change?

What’s more, Thiim likes to refer to Aston Martin as “family” – and hardly any other driver knows the Vantage GT3 Evo as well as he does. That’s likely to have been one reason why things went significantly better in 2026, following difficult DTM years in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3: Thiim contested a total of 18 races this year with Comtoyou – and, alongside finishing sixth in the DTM overall standings, he was runner-up in the GTWCE endurance series alongside team-mate Mattia Drudi.

This, too, clearly argues in favour of him staying with Aston Martin, as otherwise Thiim would have to get used to a new car again in 2027.