- Mercedes-AMG brings its 16th manufacturer title in the DTM to Affalterbach
- Lucas Auer is runner-up, Maro Engel finishes the season in third place in the championship
- Christoph Sagemüller: “Winning the 16th manufacturer title for the brand makes me very proud.”
Mercedes-AMG was crowned manufacturer champion of the 2025 DTM with a total of 418 points in a turbulent finale at the traditional Hockenheimring. The Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf and Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing together achieved two victories, nine further podium places, two pole positions and three fastest race laps over the 16 races of the season.
This was the 16th championship in the history of Germany’s top touring car series for the brand with the star. That is a record in the history of the series. Lucas Auer (AUT) and Maro Engel (GER) secured second and third place in the drivers’ championship.
Challenging Saturday for Mercedes-AMG Drivers
The morning qualifying session began with a scare for Lucas Auer: the 31-year-old lost control of his Mercedes-AMG GT3 #22 due to a loss of tyre pressure at the rear left and crashed into the track barrier. The session was then interrupted by a red flag. For the championship leader at the time, this meant starting from 18th place. Maro Engel (GER) started the race from eighth position, Jules Gounon (FRA) from twelfth and Tom Kalender (GER) from 21st.
Rain set in at midday and became heavier and heavier as the race start approached. The start was delayed by around 25 minutes and took place behind the safety car. Maro Engel put in a strong performance in the rain on the 4.574-kilometre track, finishing fourth and reducing his deficit to Lucas Auer to nine points. Auer, who had to carry five kilograms of success ballast for third place at the Red Bull Ring, still secured important points for the championship with a solid twelfth place. Tom Kalender also made it into the points with 15th place. Jules Gounon, on the other hand, had to retire his Mercedes-AMG GT3 #48 after the mandatory pit stop because the left front wheel was not correctly secured.
Nerve-wracking final race at the season finale in Hockenheim
In the cold qualifying session on Sunday morning – with temperatures around ten degrees – Lucas Auer secured ninth place on the grid, while Maro Engel started the race from 15th. Jules Gounon (FRA) and Tom Kalender (GER) tackled the season finale from sixth and 13th place.
The final race of this year’s season was unbeatable in terms of excitement and was characterised by the right pit stop strategies. Jules Gounon (FRA), who completed his first two DTM races at the Hockenheimring a year ago, contested his first full season in 2025. With 142 points, he finished the championship in ninth place as a rookie. Due to a collision in the first lap that was not his fault, he was unable to play a decisive role in the final race.
Tom Kalender made DTM history: at 17, he was the youngest driver ever to compete in the series. He scored points in seven of 16 races and collected a total of 25 points. He put in a very strong performance in the final race at Hockenheim and achieved his first top ten result. He secured his best result to date with seventh place. At the Hockenheimring, where he had secured the ADAC GT Masters title the previous year, he finished his debut season in 21st place.
Maro Engel confirmed his strong performance from the previous day in Sunday’s race. With top lap times and thanks to the strong pit work of his team, the AMG brand ambassador finished the race in third place. This earned him valuable points for the manufacturers’ championship and secured him third place in the drivers’ championship. His Mercedes-AMG Winward Racing team also finished the season in third place.
Lucas Auer, who travelled to Hockenheim with a narrow lead in the standings, fought for the title until the very last lap. The 31-year-old Austrian delivered a flawless performance. The same praise is due to his Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf, which timed and executed the two mandatory pit stops perfectly. In the end, Auer finished fourth, narrowly missing out on the title and ending the season as runner-up.
>> Race results DTM Hockenheimring
Facts and figures
| Facts and figures Track length: 4.574 kilometres Opened: 1932 DTM debut: 1984 DTM races at the Hockenheimring: 106 Mercedes-Benz/Mercedes-AMG participations in DTM races at the Hockenheimring: 99 |
| Mercedes-Benz/Mercedes-AMG statistics at Hockenheim Victories: 36 Podium finishes: 73 Pole positions: 25 Fastest race laps: 42 |
| Mercedes-Benz/Mercedes-AMG DTM winners at Hockenheim Bernd Schneider: 13 (2 x 1993, 1994, 2 x 1995, 2 x 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) Gary Paffett: 5 (2004, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018) Lucas Auer: 3 (2017, 2021, 2022) Klaus Ludwig: 2 (1989, 1990) Kurt Thiim: 2 (2 x 1994) Jean Alesi: 2 (2003, 2005) Bruno Spengler: 2 (2006, 2011) Jamie Green: 2 (2007, 2011) Paul di Resta: 2 (2010, 2016) Ellen Lohr: 1 (1992) Roland Asch: 1 (1992) Bernd Mayländer: 1 (2001) |
| Mercedes-AMG results for the 2025 DTM season – Victories: 2 (Lucas Auer, Race 1 Oschersleben; Lucas Auer, Race 1 Lausitzring) – Podiums (excluding victories): 9 (Maro Engel, 3rd place Race 1 Oschersleben; Jules Gounon, 2nd place Race 2 Oschersleben; Maro Engel, 2nd place Race 1 Lausitzring; Jules Gounon, 3rd place Race 2 Lausitzring; Maro Engel, 3rd place Race 1 Norisring; Lucas Auer, 3rd place Race 2 Nürburgring; Jules Gounon, 2nd place Race 2 Sachsenring; Lucas Auer, 3rd place Race 2 Red Bull Ring, Maro Engel, 3rd place Race 2 Hockenheimring) – Pole positions: 2 (Lucas Auer, Race 1 Lausitzring; Lucas Auer, Race 1 Oschersleben) – Fastest race laps: 3 (Lucas Auer, Race 1 Oschersleben; Maro Engel, Race 2 Oschersleben; Jules Gounon, Race 1 Lausitzring) |
| Mercedes-AMG positions in the drivers’, team and manufacturers’ championships: – Drivers’ championship: P2 Lucas Auer (188 points), P3 Maro Engel (184), P9 Jules Gounon (142), P21 Tom Kalender (25) – Team standings: P3 Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing (319), P6 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf (210) – Manufacturer standings: P1 Mercedes-AMG (418) |
| 12 drivers’ championships have already gone to drivers representing the brand with the star 1992 Klaus Ludwig – Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II 1994 Klaus Ludwig – AMG-Mercedes C-Class DTM 1995 Bernd Schneider – AMG-Mercedes C-Class DTM 2000 Bernd Schneider – AMG-Mercedes CLK DTM 2001 Bernd Schneider – AMG-Mercedes CLK DTM 2003 Bernd Schneider – AMG-Mercedes CLK DTM 2005 Gary Paffett – AMG-Mercedes C-Class 2006 Bernd Schneider – AMG-Mercedes C-Class 2010 Paul di Resta – AMG-Mercedes C-Class 2015 Pascal Wehrlein – Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM 2018 Gary Paffett – Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM 2021 Maximilian Götz – Mercedes-AMG GT3 |
| Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG now have a total of 16 manufacturers’ titles in the DTM |
| This year’s Saturday race also marked Lucas Auer’s 170th DTM start |
| Pit stop ranking: The fastest stop this season was 5.8 seconds (Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing at the Norisring) |
| adidas and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport presented their first joint collection at the DTM at the Hockenheimring – adidas has been an official partner of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport since March this year |
“Winning what is now the 16th manufacturers’ title for the brand makes me very proud. It is testament to the fantastic and consistent team performance of Mercedes-AMG and the quality of our drivers and both teams. My sincere thanks go to everyone involved. We kept the battle for the drivers’ title open until the very end. It’s a shame that it wasn’t quite enough in the end. My congratulations go to Ayhancan Güven, Team Manthey and Porsche.”
Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
“The final race at Hockenheim showed once again how close the DTM is. When nine drivers are still in contention for the title before the final weekend, every little detail counts. We gave it our all right to the very end. Both AMG teams did a great job this season and delivered consistently strong performances throughout the year. In doing so, they played a decisive role in bringing the manufacturers’ title back to Affalterbach.”
Thomas Jäger, DTM Sporting Director
“It was actually a perfect season with Mercedes-AMG and my team Landgraf Motorsport. The job we all did together and the support I received was incredible. We had no DNFs and no technical defects throughout the entire season. Of course, it’s all the more difficult not to become champion after such a perfect season. Congratulations to Ayhancan Güven.”
Lucas Auer, Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf #22
“It’s fantastic that we were able to defend the manufacturers’ title again in such a close and hard-fought series as the DTM. The drivers’ championship was our big goal. That’s why it hurts to come so close and miss out. We gave it our all right to the end. Many thanks to Mercedes-AMG and my team Winward Racing. Throughout the season, I had a fantastic car, clever strategy decisions and outstanding pit stops. It was great teamwork and incredibly enjoyable.”
Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing #24
“To be honest, I had hoped for more in terms of results from my first DTM season. But I learned a lot and I’m very happy about that. Fortunately, we were able to defend the manufacturers’ title for Mercedes-AMG. The DTM is the toughest GT series in the world. Everything is so close and fiercely contested. The DTM is racing at the highest level. In addition, many spectators come to the races, and for us drivers, there is nothing better than driving in front of packed grandstands. That’s why I definitely want to compete again next year and try again.”
Jules Gounon, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER #48
“The last race at the Hockenheimring was a mega race – my first top ten result, and that in such an explosive race. I’m really proud of that, because after all, the DTM features the best GT drivers in the world. My first season was extremely challenging. I struggled a bit in qualifying, but the races were all the better for it. In a nutshell, my performance has room for improvement, and I want to build on that next season.”
Tom Kalender, Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf #84
