By winning his second DTM title, Thomas Preining has achieved something that only seven others have managed: how he compares these successes and what went better this time
By winning his second DTM title at Hockenheim following his 2023 victory, Thomas Preining has joined an exclusive club: the Austrian Porsche works driver is one of only eight drivers in the racing series – founded in 1984 as the DPM (German Production Car Championship) – to have achieved this feat. And the first Austrian.
“Whilst preparing for this weekend, I made a point of telling myself that, if it actually worked out, I definitely wanted to enjoy it more than I did the first time,” says the ambitious Preining after his triumph over title rival Maro Engel in the final race of the season. “Everything happens so quickly. So many people are shaking your hand, and it all happens at once.”
That’s why it’s difficult to “savour the moment. I think I’ve definitely managed that a bit better this time than last time. And I hope we can carry that on this evening,” said Preining ahead of the DTM awards ceremony and the party that followed.
DTM records not a priority for Preining
The 28-year-old, who also secured his first title with Manthey, is the first double champion of the DTM’s GT3 era. And although he sees himself continuing in the DTM in the future, he has no plans for the time being to go after the records held by drivers such as Rene Rast or even Bernd Schneider.
Instead, he is interested in “us having a proper celebration now. And the fact that I’ve been able to experience something like this with my team at all. The incredible atmosphere at the Motodrom – that’s the sort of thing you always remember.”
But how does Preining compare his two titles? “Before this weekend, I was much calmer,” he says. That’s not just because he’d already managed to become DTM champion in 2023. “But also because of 2022 and 2025. I’d been in the title race several times before and therefore knew what it was like. I also know better how to deal with the attention.”
Comparison with 2023: Did the big lead make it more difficult?
On the track, however, the starting position was quite different from 2023, when he had only a ten-point lead over Mirko Bortolotti going into the final race. “I was in the lead both times, but in 2023 it was clear that I could wrap things up with a win on Saturday. And that we could get the job done with qualifying on Sunday.”
So he always had a clear goal in mind. “We were out in front, but we were still on the attack,” he says. “This time, though, the lead was so big that nothing could go wrong,” he says, referring to the 23-point lead over Engel heading into the weekend. “So we managed the whole weekend to get through everything without any silly incidents – and fortunately, everything went well.”
The “Grello” driver is the 28th DTM champion – in a total of 40 years, if you also count the ITC season of 1996.
