Peak performance required: DTM title race enters the penultimate round in Austria

• Unpredictable race for the championship - just 28 points separate top nine
• Two Austrians with sights set on the title: Preining hunting down leader Auer
• Kamrad concert headlines DTM event programme in Spielberg

München. This weekend (12th to 14th September), the Austrian mountains host the start of a thrilling climax to the DTM season. Set against the imposing Alpine backdrop of the Styrian region, the races at the Red Bull Ring presented by VKB-Bank will determine who climbs to the top of the table ahead of the DTM finale, and who travels to Hockenheim in pole position. The situation in the table promises to produce a real thriller: just 28 points separate the top nine, with a maximum 112 points still up for grabs. With championship leader Lucas Auer (Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf) and Porsche driver Thomas Preining (Manthey EMA) in fifth place, the leading group contains two locals. Tickets to the DTM in Spielberg start at € 49 and are available at dtm.com. Admission is free for under 16s when accompanied by an adult. ProSieben is broadcasting both races live on TV, with coverage from the Red Bull Ring starting at 13:00 on Saturday and Sunday. The races will be streamed live on Joyn, ran.de, ServusTV ON and the DTM YouTube channel.

Key facts, Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, races 13 and 14 of 16

• Circuit length: 4,326 metres
• Layout: Ten turns (seven right, three left), driven clockwise
• 2024 winner, race 1: Mirko Bortolotti (SSR Performance, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2)
• 2024 winner, race 2: René Rast (Schubert Motorsport, BMW M4 GT3)

Next round of the battle between Auer and Aitken
The race at the top of the table has gone back and forth at recent race weekends. The lead has changed hands four times between Auer and Ferrari driver Jack Aitken (GB) from Emil Frey Racing. Fans can now look forward to the next chapter in this captivating duel at the Red Bull ring. Auer arrives at his home event as championship leader and with the experience gained over the course of ten DTM seasons. The man from the Tyrol is the only driver to have finished in the points in every race this year. Now just two points back, Aitken is lining up his next assault on top spot. "Consistency is key in the title race, even if that is pretty difficult in the DTM. The Red Bull Ring has not really been our circuit in the past, but we want to perform better this year, so we are right in with a chance at the finale in Hockenheim," says the Brit, who currently lies second in the table.

The rest of the chasing pack are also in attack mode. Ayhancan Güven (Manthey EMA) has really shaken up the DTM title race: the Turkish Porsche driver won two races at the Sachsenring, catapulting him from eighth to third place in the table. He is now looking to back that up at the Red Bull Ring, knowing that only six points stand between him and top spot. Jordan Pepper (ZA/TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT), who is level on points with Güven, has also shown that he has the pace to compete at the very top, with three pole positions and his maiden victory at the Norisring in his first DTM season.

Spielberg specialists Preining and Rast
Fifth-placed Preining has impressed recently with a multitude of overtaking manoeuvres. However, two collisions with rivals cost the 2023 DTM champion valuable points at the Sachsenring. At his home event, Preining must find the right balance when battling for position. "I may only be 15 points off the lead, but there are only four races still to come. With that in mind, we have to deliver. The Red Bull Ring is one of my favourite circuits. So far, I have made it onto the podium at every DTM weekend there," says the local favourite from Linz, who won in front of his home crowd three years ago. René Rast (Schubert Motorsport) is another of the favourites in Spielberg. Now living in the Austrian city of Bregenz, the BMW driver is the most successful DTM driver at the Red Bull Ring, with five race wins to his name. Rast currently lies seventh in the table, but another top performance in Austria would put him in with a good chance of clinching his fourth title at the finale. Even Rast's team-mate Marco Wittmann (Fürth) is within striking distance, just 28 points back in ninth place.

Impressive natural backdrop for the DTM
With its unique location in the heart of the Styrian mountains, the Red Bull Ring is one of the most spectacular racetracks on the DTM calendar. The long straights in the first sector are particularly challenging and make the Red Bull Ring the fastest round of the season: the DTM cars race through Styria at over 240 km/h. The second section is downhill, almost like a toboggan run, as the drivers sweep through a sequence of fast corners. TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT has the shortest journey from neighbouring Knittelfeld. Defending champion Mirko Bortolotti (I) from Lamborghini team Abt Sportsline also has a short commute from his home in Vienna.

Race action, Track Safari and Kamrad concert
A total of five series and ten races make up an exciting programme at the Austrian round of the DTM. As well as the ADAC GT Masters, visitors can also look forward to ADAC GT4 Germany. The DTM weekend in Spielberg also provides the stage for the finale of this season's Prototype Cup Germany. Also in action at the Red Bull Ring is the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland. On Friday, a separate session sees Track Safari participants take to the track in buses alongside the DTM cars.

As well as thrilling motorsport, there is also a musical treat in store for fans. Kamrad presented by TGI will take to the podium from 13:00 on Saturday, when he will transform the Red Bull Ring into a concert venue directly ahead of the race start. With hits like "I Believe", "Feel Alive" and "In Time", the singer songwriter has long since established himself in the radio and streaming charts.