Maro Engel enjoyed a perfect start to the 2026 DTM season by securing pole position in Saturday’s qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring. The Mercedes-AMG driver posted a best lap of 1:27.403, beating the previous qualifying record set in 2023 by more than two tenths of a second.
“Um arranque incrível para a nova temporada! O meu rádio não estava a funcionar nas últimas voltas, por isso só soube da pole position quando regressei às boxes. Queremos dar um grande espetáculo aos espectadores na corrida e, claro, gostaria de começar a época com uma vitória”, said Engel, winner of the Pirelli Pole Position Award and already with the first three points of the championship.
Mercedes once again confirmed the strong pace shown in free practice, but faced tough competition. Ben Dörr backed up McLaren’s impressive performance by placing his 720S GT3 Evo in second position, just 0.015 seconds behind Engel in one of the closest qualifying sessions in recent times.
The home crowd also had reason to celebrate, as Thomas Preining secured third place in his Porsche. “Fizemos alguns ajustes no carro durante a noite, mas não estava à espera de um resultado tão bom. O carro está a funcionar muito bem. Temos uma excelente posição de partida e quero claramente lutar pelos lugares da frente na minha corrida de casa”, said the Austrian driver.
Just behind, Lucas Auer reinforced Mercedes-AMG’s strong showing by qualifying fourth, while newcomer Bastian Buus impressed by taking another Porsche 911 GT3 R to fifth place, highlighting the competitive balance between manufacturers.
The session took place under clear skies and temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius, with the final phase turning into a thrilling race against the clock. Preining was the first to break into the 1:27 range, followed by Buus, before Engel secured the top spot in the closing minutes. Dörr climbed to second on the final lap, with the top six all beating the previous record thanks to the new Pirelli tyres.