Maro Engel was just eight points short of the DTM title in 2025: Which three mistakes does the Mercedes works driver himself identify, and was third place last year better?
In 2024 and 2025, Maro Engel fought for the title until the DTM finale – and both times, the Winward Mercedes driver finished third in the overall standings. But which of his two best DTM seasons to date was the stronger in his view? “It’s difficult to compare the years,” Engel replied in an interview with
“In 2024, there were three of us drivers who stood out from the rest of the field and fought it out for the title,” he said, referring to last year’s title battle with his rivals Mirko Bortolotti and Kelvin van der Linde. “In 2025, there was much more chaos in the field. It was perhaps even more competitive because of the sheer number of strong competitors.”
The nine-way battle for the title, which raged until the final race, electrified the DTM – and hardly any driver came through without losing some ground somewhere. “Overall, 2025 was perhaps a little stronger, because in 2025 we were eight points short, while in 2024 it was 35,” says the veteran, who is slightly happier with the more recent season. “That was a strong year.”
Engel secured four podium finishes and only one “zero” in 2025
But what is Engel’s detailed assessment of the 2025 season? “Of course, there are a few places where we dropped points. And that was certainly more than the eight points we were missing at the end,” he says, looking at the table, where champion Ayhancan Güven and Landgraf brand colleague Lucas Auer are ahead of him.
However, Engel puts this into perspective by saying that this probably applies to “almost all drivers” in 2025. “We got the most out of our package in many races, especially towards the end of the year. We left no stone unturned, which is why I can look back with satisfaction.”
Especially in the early stages of the season, when Mercedes-AMG was stronger, Engel secured three podium finishes at Oschersleben, the Lausitzring, and the Norisring—he had to wait until the season finale at Hockenheim for his fourth.
Zandvoort, Nürburgring, and Sachsenring as setbacks
But there were also bitter moments and mistakes. Engel points to the Nürburgring, where he had to serve three penalty laps after colliding with Thierry Vermeulen on the first lap, which was his fault, and where he failed to score points for the only time in 2025, but above all to the pit stop in Zandvoort, which was made too early due to a communication error.
“That cost us a lot, of course, there’s no question about that. But we did it together as a team and we take responsibility for it,” he says.
“We certainly left a little something on the table at the Sachsenring – with the penalties,” he says, referring to the grid penalty for the three warnings and what he considers to be an “avoidable” jump start on Saturday, which triggered another penalty lap.
“Those were the points,” says Engel, looking back. “But it was important to learn from that and look ahead – and that’s what we did. We had two strong weekends at the Red Bull Ring and in Hockenheim.”
Engel on his Winward team: “A really mega team”
Engel has now set his sights on the future again. “My wish is quite clear: to compete in the DTM again,” he says. “Third place twice in a row, two strong seasons – we want to build on that and go on the attack again.”
Especially since the Winward team, for which Engel has been competing in the DTM for two years, completed the best pit stops in 2025, as proven by their title in the Pit Stop Challenge. “It really is a mega team,” says Engel, who feels right at home with the team from Altendiez. Former racing driver Christian Hohenadel, who acts as team boss, “understands the profession perfectly.”
And with his Portuguese race engineer Mauricio Moreira, the collaboration has been “very positive” from the very beginning. “He’s a great engineer,” says Engel. It’s very valuable “that he understands what I need from the car and that I can take his feedback to take the next step.”
