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DTM-Heute: Güven Seals Championship in Hockenheim Thriller Amidst Major Rule and Driver Shifts By BBC Motorsport Correspondent Hockenheimring, Germany – The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) season concluded with a dramatic, championship-deciding final race at the Hockenheimring, where Turkish driver Ayhancan Güven secured the 2025 title in a breath-taking final-lap duel. Güven's victory marks a significant moment for the German-based touring car series, crowning the first Turkish champion in its more than 40-year history. However, the celebrations were quickly tempered by the announcement of major regulatory changes for the 2026 season and the temporary retirement of one of the series' most successful drivers, René Rast, underscoring a period of profound transition for the championship. The finale was set up as an eight-point showdown, and Sunday’s race delivered the chaos and complexity expected of a high-stakes DTM event. Güven, driving the Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R, performed a tenacious drive, but faced relentless pressure from veteran Marco Wittmann in the final minutes after a late Safety Car period neutralised the field. The deciding moments arrived on the last lap at the Motodrom’s demanding Sachs curve, where Wittmann briefly managed to take the lead before an immediate, aggressive counter-move from Güven saw the Porsche driver reclaim the crucial position and cross the line as both race winner and champion. The result also cemented a dominant year for Porsche, with the Manthey EMA team securing the Teams’ Championship for the second consecutive year. Speaking after the race, Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, encapsulated the palpable tension of the weekend. “An unbelievable heart-stopping finale – that was an amazing thriller! There is hardly a better advertisement for motorsport,” Mr Laudenbach stated. “We are incredibly happy that Ayhancan Güven was able to win the championship.
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Congratulations and big compliments to the Manthey team for their consistent performance. ” Güven’s victory, achieved in his second full season in the series, immediately elevates him to motorsport stardom and further internationalises the profile of the DTM championship. Rast’s Bitter Farewell and End of an Era The weekend’s high drama was juxtaposed with the emotional and unfortunate conclusion to the DTM career of three-time champion René Rast. The German veteran, who announced his provisional retirement from the series on Friday to focus on other BMW M Motorsport programmes, was in strong contention for a fourth title. However, his hopes were tragically shattered on the very first lap of the season finale following a multi-car collision at the hairpin, forcing him to retire with irreparable damage to his BMW M4 GT3 EVO. Rast, who holds an impressive record of 31 victories and 26 pole positions over eight full DTM seasons, expressed profound disappointment. “I’m at a loss for words after this bitter end to the season,” he said. “To be taken out of the title fight in this way in the first lap is incredibly bitter. This is not the conclusion I had dreamed of for my DTM career. ” His departure leaves a significant vacuum in the driver line-up, removing a proven championship contender and a key figurehead, which analysts suggest will reshape the internal dynamics within the manufacturer battles for the 2026 grid.
The Strategic Pivot: Bespoke Tyres for Parity Beyond the on-track action, the most significant news dictating the direction of DTM-heute is the forthcoming regulatory change concerning the control tyre supply. The ADAC, which promotes the series, confirmed that from 2026, Pirelli will develop a bespoke GT3 slick tyre specifically for the DTM, moving away from the global P Zero DH product currently used across numerous international GT series. This decision is aimed at enhancing the Balance of Performance (BoP) and maintaining the DTM's reputation as the fastest GT3-based championship globally. The principal motivation for this divergence lies in closing a perceived testing and knowledge gap between teams. Since 2023, many DTM teams also compete in the GT World Challenge Europe, which uses the same Pirelli tyre but permits tyre warmers and unrestricted private testing. The DTM strictly forbids tyre warmers and imposes tight testing limits. By introducing a unique tyre, the relevance of accumulated knowledge from other series is diminished, theoretically placing all teams on a more equal footing. Thomas Voss, the ADAC’s Motorsport Director, confirmed the strategic reasoning: “The DTM is not a normal GT3 series. We have to do something special for DTM, and the tyre is one part of it. ” He indicated that the new product is expected to be quicker than the current generation, but stressed that parity was the primary goal.
“We think it's useful to have a special tyre to make a more advanced BoP, because this is what the teams are asking us about. ” The bespoke tyre will be manufactured at Pirelli’s facility in Breuberg, Germany, ensuring the local R&D department is deeply involved in its development. Outlook for 2026 and Series Identity These simultaneous changes—a new champion, a legendary retirement, and a crucial regulatory shift—signal a decisive phase for the DTM as it seeks to solidify its identity in the highly competitive global motorsport landscape. The commitment to a bespoke tyre, alongside the existing requirement for compulsory mid-race pit stops, positions the DTM further away from standard GT3 endurance racing formats, emphasising sprint performance and strategic complexity. While the introduction of a new tyre carries potential cost implications for the teams, Pirelli has suggested the increase will be minimal. The greater impact, however, will be felt in the engineering departments, which will have to adapt quickly to the new performance envelope and thermal characteristics of the unique rubber. The DTM management hopes that this strategic move, combined with the emergence of young talent like Güven and the continued participation of multiple premium manufacturers, will secure the series’ future as a must-watch spectacle. The 2026 season is now poised to begin with a clean slate, where only the fastest to adapt will inherit the legacy left by drivers like Rast. The focus shifts now from the high of Hockenheim to the technical preparations necessary to maintain the championship’s reputation for fiercely competitive racing.
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