Preining fastest driver at DTM dress rehearsal in Oschersleben

• Teams and drivers use sessions to optimise car set-up
• Aston Martin and Ford enjoy successful DTM debut
• First mission for new Pirelli tyres and more sustainable fuel

Oschersleben. Final stage of preparations in the DTM. At the official test and media day in Oschersleben on Wednesday, the 15 teams made use of competition conditions to determine the optimum configuration for the 550 PS cars for the opener (25th to 27th April) in the Magdeburg Börde. It was the first time the 24 DTM race cars had driven on the new Pirelli slicks, and they were running on a new synthetic fuel at the first showdown.

The fastest time of the day in the two test sessions lasting almost eight hours overall went to Thomas Preining (A) in the Porsche 911 GT3 R of Manthey EMA. With a time of 1:21:887 minutes, the 2023 champion was the only driver to stay under the 1:22:000-minute mark. “It feels great to be back in a DTM car, which is much sharper than an endurance car. Over the winter we decided on areas to test and then worked on these in Oschersleben to ensure we are optimally prepared for the start of the season,” explained the Austrian. His team-mate Ayhancan Güven (TR) finished in second place, while Jordan Pepper (ZA) got the third-fastest time on the 3.667-kilometre track.

The drivers and teams focused on fine-tuning their DTM cars with the new P Zero DHG slicks from Pirelli, which were used for the first time at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. Dry and sunny weather throughout the day made for ideal conditions. This enabled the entrants to collect important data using different set-ups on fast laps and in long-run simulations

“We tried a lot of things. The car appears to be slightly faster with the new tyres. Generally, a test day provides lots of individual pieces of information that you then put together to come up with an overall picture to prepare the perfect start to the season,” summed up Maro Engel (Monaco) of the Mercedes-AMG team Winward. Lamborghini driver Nicki Thiim (DK) of Abt Sportsline also focused extensively on the new Pirelli tyre. “The tyre worked particularly well when cold. We experimented a great deal, from air pressure to camber settings, to achieve the maximum. We did a great job.”

In Ford and Aston Martin, two newcomers appeared on the DTM stage in Oschersleben and gained valuable insights for the upcoming season. “I followed the DTM as a child and it feels great to be part of it now,” said Gilles Magnus (B), who completed his first DTM laps in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Comtoyou Racing. “We’re new to the competition, so the test was particularly important. Personally, I found starting on cold tyres a real challenge.” Arjun Maini (IND) of HRT Ford Performance was pleased with the Ford Mustang GT3’s DTM debut: “You’re sitting in an iconic car with very specific characteristics. I will have to get used to that, even though I’m very familiar with the DTM. We were able to work through our programme without issues during the test. We weren’t focussing on maximum performance. We were primarily looking at how the car responds in particular situations.”

Ayhancan Güven and his Dutch brand colleague Morris Schuring of the Manthey junior team did the biggest stint, each completing 141 laps. In total, the drivers in Oschersleben covered 10,378 kilometres over 2,830 laps. The first two championship races of the 2025 DTM season will take place between 25th and 27th April. Tickets for the opener in Oschersleben are available online at dtm.com, starting from 49 euros. Under 16s accompanied by an adult can enjoy free entry.

Result of the 2025 pre-season test
1. Thomas Preining (A/Manthey EMA), 1:21:887 minutes
2. Ayhancan Güven (TR/Manthey EMA), 1:22:211 minutes
3. Jordan Pepper (ZA/TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT), 1:22:388 minutes
4. Luca Engstler (Kempten/TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT), 1:22:402 minutes
5. Jules Gounon (F/Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter), 1:22:599 minutes

For the full results, see the ADAC Motorsport media portal at media.adac-motorsport.de.