Ice cold in the Motodrom: Thomas Preining wins his second DTM title in Hockenheim

• Porsche driver crowned champion after third place in final race of season
• Engel ends successful season with victory and the runner-up spot in the table
• 112,000 visitors enjoy a thrilling DTM finale in Hockenheim

Hockenheim. Perfect strategy, implemented to perfection by a worthy champion: Thomas Preining (A/Manthey) won his second DTM title after a flawless display on Sunday afternoon at the Hockenheimring. The Austrian's 20-point lead made him favourite coming into the final race of the season, and third place proved sufficient to wrap up title number two. "That is one of the best moments of my life. It is hard to put the many emotions into words. At the start, I had to be fully focussed, in order to avoid getting caught up in a collision. When I had already managed to climb into fourth place after the opening lap, I knew that it could be a big day for us," said Preining. Maro Engel (Monaco/Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol) once again showed his class as the season drew to a close. The experienced racer produced an impressive display to claim his third win of the season - and with it the runner-up spot in the championship. Ricardo Feller (CH) overtook his team-mate Preining on the final lap to finish the race in second place.

The Team Championship was won by Manthey, ahead of Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing. In the Manufacturer competition, the title went to Mercedes-AMG, with Porsche taking second place. "Rookie of the Year" was Tom Kalender (Hamm/Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf). The final DTM race weekend at the Hockenheimring was watched at the circuit by 112,000 visitors, who also enjoyed plenty of show and spectacle off the track, as well as the thrilling title race.

Key facts, Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, race 16 of 16

• Circuit length: 4,574 metres
• Weather: 15 degrees, bright to cloudy
• Pole position: Bastian Buus (Land-Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R #29), 1:36.923 minutes
• Winner: Maro Engel (Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol, Mercedes-AMG GT3 #80)
• Fastest lap: Arjun Maini (HRT Ford Racing, Ford Mustang GT3 #36), 1:37.842 minutes

The grandstands at the Hockenheimring were packed when the DTM field took to the starting grid at 16:30 for the final time this season. Engel, third in the table, had to overturn a 22-point deficit, and so made an aggressive start to the race. Having started fourth, the Mercedes-AMG driver immediately gained two positions and slotted into second place behind pole-sitter Bastian Buus (DK/Land-Motorsport). Preining, who started from seventh, climbed into third. He was followed in fourth and fifth place by Feller and Ben Dörr (Butzbach/Dörr Motorsport) in a McLaren 720S GT3 Evo. Engel pulled off an impressive overtaking manoeuvre to take the lead on lap eleven. Preining and Feller also found a way past Denmark's Buus.

The running order at the head of the field remained unchanged after the two mandatory pit stops. Engel was able to pull clear of the Porsche trio in the closing stages, and took the chequered flag with a lead of over three seconds. Behind Feller, who passed Preining on the final lap, Buus came home fourth to claim his best result of the season. Dörr completed the top five. Matteo Cairoli (I/Emil Frey Racing) was sixth in a Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, Marco Wittmann (Fürth/Schubert Motorsport) ended the 16th race of the season in seventh place in the BMW M4 GT3 Evo. That result saw the Franconian drop from second to third in the overall standings. Arjun Maini (IND/HRT Ford Racing) finished eighth in the race, ahead of Lamborghini drivers Marco Mapelli (I/Red Bull Team Abt) and Mirko Bortolotti (I/TGI Team by GRT) in ninth and tenth.

Maro Engel: "I gave it my all and left no stone unturned, but at the end of the day we unfortunately had dropped a few too many points. I am a fighter, see every setback as motivation, and will come back stronger. I took some risks in the race. This was the first victory that my daughter has seen live at the circuit. Furthermore, I am proud to have won the Manufacturer title with Mercedes-AMG."

Ricardo Feller: "A double podium and the title in the Team competition is an outstanding end to the season. Unfortunately, I was unable to hold off Maro Engel. He was simply too fast. On the whole, I am happy with my development over the course of the season. I first had to find my feet in my first year with Porsche in the DTM. I really enjoyed the work."

Result of race 16 of the season at the Hockenheimring
1. Maro Engel (Monaco/Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol)
2. Ricardo Feller (CH/Manthey), +3.058 seconds
3. Thomas Preining (A/Manthey), +3.698 seconds
4. Bastian Buus (DK/Land-Motorsport), +3.994 seconds
5. Ben Dörr (Butzbach/Dörr Motorsport), +10.139 seconds

The full result can be found at dtm.com/en/results.