NURBURGRING – Matteo Cairoli put on an absolute masterclass at the Nürburgring, converting his Saturday morning pole position into a commanding lights-to-flag victory in Race 1. Driving the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, the Italian controlled the pace throughout a chaotic, high-attrition afternoon to cross the line nearly ten seconds clear of the chasing pack, securing a vital victory in the Eifel.
While Cairoli controlled the race from the front, the 3.629 km sprint circuit turned into a battlefield behind him, with thick atmospheric haze setting a dramatic backdrop as only 12 cars survived to reach the checkered flag.
Early Drama and First-Lap Chaos
The tension exploded immediately as the green lights went out. Cairoli nailed his launch to lead Thomas Preining’s “Grello” Manthey Porsche into Turn 1. Behind them, McLaren junior Ben Dörr jumped past Lucas Auer’s Landgraf Mercedes, dropping the Austrian down the order early on.
Middle-of-the-pack skirmishes quickly triggered heavy casualties across the opening laps. Mirko Bortolotti was forced wide into the gravel trap after contact with Marco Mapelli, leaving the Italian with damage that forced him into the pits to retire shortly after. Just four laps later, Mapelli was tagged from behind in the AMG Arena by Timo Glock, sending the SSR Performance car spinning. Race control promptly handed Glock three penalty laps for the incident, though both drivers eventually called it a day in the pit lane. The chaos extended through the field as Nicki Thiim and Tom Kalender tangled in the chicane, forcing Kalender into the pits with severe exhaust damage while Thiim was handed a penalty lap.
Pit Strategy and Mid-Race Surges
As the mandatory pit stop window opened, Cairoli held a steady two-second advantage over Preining, with Dörr running an impressive third ahead of Marco Wittmann.
Schubert Motorsport executed a rapid service for Wittmann, allowing the BMW M4 GT3 driver to leapfrog Dörr during the pit cycle. Dörr rejoined side-by-side with Wittmann, but the veteran BMW driver held the inside line to claim the final podium spot. Cairoli was among the last of the lead group to stop, rejoining seamlessly ahead of Preining to retain his lead. Further back, the attrition continued relentlessly. Ricardo Feller suffered contact with Jules Gounon at Turn 1, spinning his Porsche into the tire barrier. Though Feller rejoined, he fell completely out of contention, while Kelvin van der Linde was forced to park his Schubert BMW in the garage with a mechanical issue.
Final Lap Drama and Podium Finishers
Cairoli remained completely untroubled at the head of the field, managing his Michelin tires to perfection to take the win by 9.973 seconds.
Thomas Preining drove a clean race to take second place for Manthey EMA, securing crucial championship points on Porsche’s home turf. Marco Wittmann completed the podium in third, capitalizing on his team’s sharp pit work.
Ben Dörr brought his McLaren home in fourth, holding off Lucas Auer in fifth. Championship leader Maro Engel crossed the line in sixth to minimize damage on a difficult day.
The drama lasted until the very end: on the final lap, Christian Engelhart made heavy contact with the rear of Thierry Vermeulen approaching the Veedol chicane, sending both cars hard into the barriers and bringing the total number of finishers down to just 12.
Looking Ahead to Sunday
With Saturday’s high-stakes opener in the books, the grid gets little time to rest before doing it all over again on Sunday. Track action resumes early with Qualifying 2 at 09:10 CEST, setting the grid for the second half of the Eifel double-header.
All eyes will be on whether the heavy repairs required across the paddock can be completed in time, and whether Cairoli can maintain his golden touch when Race 2 lights go green at 13:30 CEST. With championship points tight at the top and several title contenders eager to bounce back from Saturday’s incidents, Sunday’s finale promises another unpredictable sprint through the Eifel.