A final-lap collision at the Sachsenring has drastically altered the DTM championship battle in favour of Thomas Preining following a severe penalty for Maro Engel.
The WINWARD Racing driver received a 15-second time sanction for spinning his rival into the gravel just before the chequered flag. The punishment dropped the Mercedes-AMG contender entirely out of the points, demoting him from fifth to 17th place. Crucially, the stewards’ decision cost him eleven points in the overall standings.
Following a recent brilliant strategy call, Engel now trails Manthey Porsche leader Preining by 23 points.
Rivals Share Paddock Respect
The incident marked a seventh failure to finish this season for the luckless Schubert BMW driver, and his second consecutive weekend clashing with the German title contender. Despite an initial angry radio message, the South African offered his support in the paddock following the stewards’ ruling.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, the crash victim explained his sympathetic reaction.
“I put my arm around him because I know how much that hurts him,” he said.
He dismissed the late contact as “water under the bridge”, though the error mirrors another costly championship pursuit mistake that could ultimately define a season.
Mercedes-AMG must now execute a flawless weekend at the upcoming Hockenheim season finale, where only 56 points remain available to bridge the significant gap.
