Marco Wittmann has finished the 2026 DTM season third in the drivers’ standings after a podium in Saturday’s race at the Hockenheim finale. The BMW driver went into the last weekend with a chance of a third DTM title, but the pace was not there to challenge Porsche’s Thomas Preining, who took the crown. Schubert Motorsport also finished third in the team standings.

Title hopes fade at Hockenheim

Wittmann arrived at the Hockenheim season finale still in contention for the championship in the #11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 EVO, the car known as the ‘Green Machine’. He finished third in Saturday’s race and seventh on Sunday. According to BMW, that was the most the car’s pace allowed, and it was not enough to keep up with new champion Thomas Preining (Porsche) and runner-up Maro Engel (Mercedes).

The result ends Wittmann’s chance of a third DTM drivers’ title. He has already won the championship twice, in 2014 and 2016.

“Nevertheless, third place in the overall standings is a good result when you consider where we’ve come from this season. I’m proud of my team and of our performances this season.” — Marco Wittmann

One of Wittmann’s strongest seasons

Wittmann was disappointed to miss the title, but his season was still a strong one. Over 16 races he won twice, at the Nürburgring and the Sachsenring, and added five more podiums: one second place and four thirds. He ended the year on 198 points.

In the teams’ championship, Schubert Motorsport finished third with 284 points. Team Principal Torsten Schubert said the squad “didn’t have the necessary tools available at Hockenheim”, but added: “Even though we’re disappointed at the moment, we’ll be back on the attack next season.”

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, congratulated Wittmann and the team: “Third place in such a fiercely contested championship is a credit to them.”

A difficult debut year for van der Linde

Kelvin van der Linde’s bad luck continued at the finale in the #3 Shell BMW M4 GT3 EVO. He finished sixth on Saturday. On Sunday he fell to 18th after an early collision and problems during the pit stops. In his first DTM season as a BMW M works driver he scored one win, at Zandvoort, and 96 points, which left him 14th in the standings.

“Unfortunately, the final weekend here at Hockenheim perfectly sums up my entire season,” he said.

Schrey wins the first ADAC BMW M2 Cup title

The ADAC BMW M2 Cup also ended its first season at Hockenheim. Michael Schrey and the Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport team won the title. Schrey did not reach the podium on the final weekend, but he had already built a comfortable lead by winning seven of the previous eight races. The last two races were won by Farin Megger (Riller & Schnauck powered by Cerny Motorsport) and Schrey’s team-mate Niklas Hirsch. Christopher Holst of Team ME Motorsport became Rookie Champion.

Near misses for FK Performance Motorsport

FK Performance Motorsport went into the final race of both the ADAC GT Masters and ADAC GT4 Germany fighting for the drivers’ titles, and missed out in both.

In the ADAC GT Masters, Tim Zimmermann and Leyton Fourie led the standings by a small margin before the finale. Sixth and second places in the #11 BMW M4 GT3 EVO were not enough to hold on, and they finished second overall. The team did win the teams’ title.

In ADAC GT4 Germany, Benjamin Sylvestersson and Gabriele Piana took a win, a third place and a fourth place over the three races of the final weekend in the #51 BMW M4 GT4 EVO. They still finished four points short of the title.

What it means

BMW ends the DTM season without a title, but it had a front-running driver until the final weekend. It also won a one-make cup championship and a GT Masters teams’ title. Roos said the brand is “determined to come back next season and fight for the title once again.”

Facts: Marco Wittmann, 2026 DTM season

  • Car: #11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Schubert Motorsport)
  • Races: 16
  • Wins: 2 (Nürburgring, Sachsenring)
  • Other podiums: 5 (one second, four thirds)
  • Points: 198
  • Drivers’ standings: 3rd
  • Hockenheim finale: 3rd (Race 1), 7th (Race 2)
  • Team standings: Schubert Motorsport 3rd, 284 points

The 2026 DTM season ended at Hockenheim on 11 October.

Source: www.press.bmwgroup.com