Lights-to-flag victory at the Norisring: Jarschel dominates

• Tim Jarschel unbeatable: Pole position and victory for the 2024 champion
• Dramatic three-way battle for final podium position
• Next event on Saturday 18th July at virtual Oschersleben

Munich. There was no beating Tim Jarschel (Falken Simracing Team) at round three of the 2026 DTM eSports Championship at the Norisring. Having secured pole position in qualifying, the German then controlled the entire race before claiming a comfortable lights-to-flag victory ahead of Turkka Häkkinen (Needracing.com). Third place went to Jonas Wanner (Alpha One by SX), who snatched the final spot on the podium in the closing stages, after a spectacular three-way battle with Maximilian Benecke (MOUZ) and Nikal Houben (Team Nitro).

Jarschel is quick to seize control
Tim Jarschel made a big statement as early as qualifying, when he secured pole position ahead of Alessandro Ottaviani (Dörr eSports by SX), Nikal Houben and Turkka Häkkinen. And the Falken Simracing driver was again unbeatable at the start of the race, as he ensured he arrived at the first hairpin as the race leader. There was one worrying moment, courtesy of Tobias Gronewald (Team Nitro), who got his braking all wrong and crashed sideways into Jarschel’s Audi. Despite the contact, Jarschel held onto his lead, and went on to extend his advantage at the head of the field. Häkkinen took second place, ahead of Ottaviani and Wanner.

Perfect strategy paves way for victory
In the following laps, Jarschel and Häkkinen set the pace out in front, as they steadily pulled clear of the rest of the field. While they focussed on their strategy, Jarschel came in for his first mandatory pit stop on lap 37. Häkkinen reacted one lap later, but was then forced to slot back in behind the German again. Wanner remained third, while Ottaviani dropped back to sixth after his first stop.

Jarschel extended his lead slightly after the first pit stop. He came in for his second with roughly eight minutes of the race remaining – closely followed by Häkkinen. Even then, however, there was no stopping Jarschel, and he maintained his lead through to the finish in commanding fashion.

Spectacular three-way battle for the podium
While the first two positions appeared to be done and dusted early on in the race, an enthralling battle for the final place on the podium was developing behind them. Jonas Wanner, Maximilian Benecke and Nikal Houben were embroiled in a spectacular three-way battle as the race drew to a close, often racing door-to-door through the tight corners at the Norisring. The positions appeared to change almost every second, before Wanner was able to secure third place in the final few metres. Came home fourth, ahead of Houben in fifth.

Motorsport Arena Oschersleben hosts round four of the 2026 DTM eSports Championship as soon as Saturday. That is followed by the Sachsenring, before the grand, on-site finale at the Nürburgring.

Quotes after the race

Tim Jarschel (Falken Simracing Team): “At the start, Turkka was right in my slipstream. However, he did not attack, because we had both seen that we could pull away from the field together. That worked perfectly. After the first pit stop, I was glad of the small lead I had, as I made a slight mistake that cost a bit of time. After that, everything went to plan. I am also delighted that the finale will take place on site at the Nürburgring.“

Turkka Häkkinen (Needracing.com): “It was a good race. I would obviously have liked to have stayed closer to Tim, but I made a little mistake. Tim had more fuel on board at the start, which meant he was a bit heavier on the track. Towards the end of the race, he was able to use his advantage and make a decisive break.”

Jonas Wanner (Alpha One by SX): “It was an unbelievably tough race. It was not easy to switch from a consistent driving style to taking some big risks. In the end, I was perhaps a little fortunate, because the others were fighting so hard with each other. On the whole, it was a fair race. You just can’t avoid some light contact at the Norisring.”