NURBURGRING — The sixth round of the DTM season got underway under unusually warm conditions in the Eifel, creating a demanding technical puzzle for teams and drivers across Friday’s track action. With asphalt temperatures climbing significantly throughout the day, tire management quickly emerged as the central theme of both sessions. Teams explicitly instructed their drivers to bring their Pirelli rubber up to temperature gradually on out-laps to prevent severe surface degradation over longer stints.
Cairoli strikes early in opening session
In the morning session, Matteo Cairoli set the early benchmark for Emil Frey Racing. Driving the Ferrari 296 GT3, the Italian posted a 1:26.144 to top the timesheets in Free Practice 1. Lucas Auer trailed closely behind in his Landgraf Motorsport Mercedes-AMG, falling just five-hundredths of a second short of Cairoli’s mark, while Marco Mapelli rounded out a tightly packed top three for Abt Sportsline.
Manthey Racing takes charge on home soil
As afternoon ambient temperatures continued to rise for Free Practice 2, local powerhouse Manthey Racing took full advantage of their home venue. Thomas Preining delivered the highlight lap of the day, shattering the morning benchmark with a 1:25.517. His teammate Ricardo Feller secured a commanding one-two result for the squad, finishing a quarter of a second adrift, while Kelvin van der Linde posted the third quickest time for Schubert Motorsport.
Thermal stress and tire strategy ahead of qualifying
The heat clearly impacted stint consistency during the afternoon running, with several drivers reporting rapid thermal degradation when pushing hard on consecutive flying laps. Managing compound temperatures through the heavy braking zones of Turn 1 and the NGK Chicane proved crucial, forcing teams to balance aggressive single-lap setups against sustainable race pace ahead of Saturday’s opening qualifying session.