Ayhancan Güven – A profile of the 2025 DTM champion

• Porsche driver claims biggest success of his career after historic manoeuvre
• From sim racing with Formula 1 stars Verstappen and Norris to the DTM title

Munich. Brave, determined and uncompromising - three words that perfectly sum up the way that Ayhancan Güven from Manthey EMA battled his way to this year's DTM title. The Porsche driver pulled off a remarkable overtaking manoeuvre just metres from the finish to take victory at the Hockenheimring and with it the DTM crown. "This title means everything to me. I have worked all my life for a success like this. As a young boy, I could never have imagined that I would one day be a DTM champion," said Güven after the trophy presentation, having made motorsport history as the first DTM champion to come from Turkey.

As early as the opening round in Oschersleben, he left nobody in any doubt as to his ambitions. Güven immediately made a big statement with his very first DTM victory at the season opener. "The win felt unbelievable. After the race, I was still full of adrenalin and could not get to sleep for a long time that night," he recalls. It was to be the start of a season, in which the 27-year-old backed up his reputation as an uncompromising fighter. Only once did Güven start a race from the front row of the grid. Instead, he had to work hard for his success on the track. The man born in Istanbul pulled off overtakes, took risks, adapted to situations - and always kept an overview of what was going on around him. In the end, his record reads an impressive five victories in 2025. That is more than anyone before him in the GT3 era of the DTM.

At the finale in Hockenheim, Güven put all his strengths into practice. "It was clear to me before the race that I was not going to do any calculations whilst I was in the car. I was just determined to win the race and with it the championship," he explains. When Marco Wittmann overtook Güven on the final lap, his dream of winning the title was in danger of being shattered in dramatic fashion. "My engineer told me over the radio 'You have to win!', in exactly the moment when Wittmann was overtaking me. Shortly after that, I spotted a small gap and knew it was my last chance." Güven countered with one of the most spectacular manoeuvres in DTM history - and what followed was unbridled joy.

Immediately after crossing the finish line, Güven fell into his father Hakan's arms. "He has supported me with total dedication for over 20 years. My maiden victory in Oschersleben was a very special moment for us both, but this title surpasses everything." Güven's career path has been far from conventional. He took his place at the wheel of a kart for the first time at the age of five, encouraged by his dad, who was an amateur racing driver himself. As a twelve-year-old, Güven switched to sim racing and started for the world's biggest Esports team, alongside current Formula 1 stars Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. "I learned a lot from sim racing, but the experience you gain in a real car is irreplaceable," he says. At the age of 17, the youngster returned to real motorsport, winning national races in Turkey and making the step up to international GT racing. His rise was rapid: in 2018, he won the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux and the one-make cup in France. Güven then ended his rookie season in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, which featured on the Formula 1 support programme, as the top rookie and second in the overall standings. In 2021, he was signed up as a Porsche works driver. Outings on the international GT3 scene and in the ADAC GT Masters helped him progress to the DTM. The title in the iconic German series now marks the biggest success of his career so far.

Güven is a figurehead for Turkish motor racing. "We are currently developing an awesome new motorsport culture in Turkey. I am proud to be the first to spark this enthusiasm," says Güven, who has countless fans in his homeland. That fan base includes a well-known sportsman, who is also at the top of his game: Güven has formed a close friendship with two-time Superbike world champion Toprak Razgatlıoğlu. The future MotoGP congratulated him by video call immediately after the title thriller. "Ayhancan and I have known each other for over ten years. He has often been to watch me at races, and has trained together with me," said the BMW Motorrad factory rider when he came to support his compatriot at the DTM event at the Nürburgring.

Anyone who meets Ayhancan Güven soon realises: he is an uncompromising racer at the wheel of his Porsche 911 GT3 R, but a family guy through and through away from the racetrack. As well as his father, he also receives great support from his older sister who, as a qualified psychologist, helps him stay mentally strong. Her husband is a fitness coach and regularly trains with Güven, whose interest in other sports allows him to strike a healthy balance. As a passionate basketball fan, he showed at a DTM media event with Bundesliga outfit Niners Chemnitz in 2023 that he is a good shot with a basketball in his hand. The racing driver shot some hoops with center Kevin Yebo and Jonas Richter, Chemnitz captain at the time - and made quite an impression. Güven is also happy in his private life: in July, he got engaged to his long-term girlfriend Lara, who has accompanied him to races for many years.

Ayhancan Güven has not only made motorsport history with his DTM title, but has also shown that even the biggest childhood dreams can come true, with the necessary passion and determination. He also added an extraordinary new chapter to the history of the DTM with his epic closing act in Hockenheim.