Sleepless nights, a car that felt “special” – and the duel with the strongest Huracan driver: Nicki Thiim now speaks openly about the difficult time
One victory and one podium finish were the meager rewards for Aston Martin works driver Nicki Thiim in 36 DTM races with Lamborghini. But why did the 36-year-old Dane, who was allowed to drive for another brand in 2022, 2024, and 2025 thanks to an Aston Martin release and will finally be sitting in the Vantage GT3 Evo in 2026, not get along with the Lamborghini Huracan GT3?
“My head is still exploding because of it, because as a race car driver you always want to be successful,” Thiim explains. “You can’t imagine how many sleepless nights I had because of this car.” On top of that, none other than Lamborghini ace Mirko Bortolotti was his teammate at SSR in 2024 and at Abt in 2025.
“With Mirko, I was competing against probably the best man in this car and learned a lot from him. But I knew from the start that I would probably be at a disadvantage,” explains Thiim. “Politically, especially in the first year, but that’s another story. The car just drove very differently.”
“I didn’t feel at home, especially in qualifying.”
Thiim’s first DTM attempt with Lamborghini did not last long, as after just two disappointing weekends, he parted ways with the T3 Motorsport team in 2022, which subsequently filed for bankruptcy. At the time, there were rumors that the Huracan supplied by Lamborghini was in poor condition—and the team was also said to be dissatisfied with the engine performance, according to rumors in the paddock at the time. But even after that, things didn’t go smoothly for Thiim with the Huracan: in 2024, he finished 13th overall in the SSR Lamborghini and claimed his only DTM victory at the Norisring, while Bortolotti became champion. In 2025, he only managed 18th place, but with third place at Zandvoort, he still achieved Abt’s best result of the season.
“We really tried everything, but especially in qualifying, where you have to be at one with the car, I didn’t feel at home,” he says, referring to the time chase that is so important in the DTM. “Like the other guys, you have to sit in this car every weekend to get those one, two, three tenths that make all the difference, especially in the DTM.”
Thiim on the change: “If you have to think, you’re too slow.”
That makes sense, because while Thiim had to cope with the mid-engine Lamborghini in the DTM, he drove the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, which has a front-mid-engine concept, in all other races. Apart from that, the Huracan’s 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 engine lacks torque, which doesn’t make things any easier.
“If it doesn’t come instinctively and you have to think in the race car, then you’re already too slow,” Thiim notes. “That was definitely my problem with the ‘Lambo’. I had to invest energy where I didn’t want to.”
He says he’s not actually a driver who has difficulty adjusting to different cars. “I’ve driven front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive cars—from Cup cars to Class 1. I don’t usually have a big problem adjusting, but in the DTM, it’s all about the details,” he says, referring to the series’ one-driver-per-car concept, which allows for no compromises.
Thiim’s disappointment at Abt: “A horror season for all of us”
Nevertheless, Thiim is grateful to SSR boss Stefan Schlund and the Abt team for the opportunities, especially since both teams could have opted for factory drivers. At Abt in particular, it was clear “that I would seize such an opportunity if it arose,” says Thiim, even though the team had to endure its weakest season in DTM history in 2025 of all years.
“It was a horror season for all of us. But I still have a lot of love and respect for what we tried to do last year, even though it was difficult,” says Thiim.
Finally on equal footing in 2026? “The car fits like a glove”
But now everything is set to change. “I really feel at home in the Aston,” explains Thiim, who has been driving for the British brand for ten years. “The car has proven itself in endurance racing; you get in and it fits like a glove. I feel comfortable in it – just like the other drivers in the field.”
That’s why 2026 will be “the first year in which everyone really has the same starting position” and “in which I can rely on my instincts when driving.”
However, Thiim doesn’t want to miss out on the difficult experiences of the past few years. “In the end, it only made me stronger,” says the man who has won almost everything in GT racing and now wants to realize his dream of a DTM title. “Now I’m just looking forward to finally getting started. There are absolutely no more excuses for doing something wrong.”