DTM Leader Lucas Auer Furious After Collision

DTM points leader Lucas Auer had a tough race at the Lausitzring on May 28, 2025, after a clash with Marco Wittmann left his Mercedes-AMG car badly damaged.

Auer, who started strong from fourth on the grid, managed to pass Wittmann early in the race, but contact occurred at high speed in Turn 7.

The incident forced Auer off track and into the gravel, causing significant suspension and floor damage to his car. Despite the problems, Auer pushed hard and finished the race in ninth place.

However, his lead in the DTM standings shrank to just six points. The Austrian was clearly upset after the race, describing it as “a shitty race” and blaming Wittmann for pushing him off.

According to Auer, after the collision, his car was difficult to handle with lots of oversteer, and the steering wheel was no longer straight. Team boss Nico Heinz also confirmed that the damage made it very hard for Auer to keep up his usual pace.

Marco Wittmann, driving for Schubert Motorsport in the BMW M4 GT3, saw things differently. He explained that both drivers were side by side going into the corner and that Auer was already off-line before there was any contact.

Wittmann said it was a hard but fair fight and did not feel responsible for the crash. He ended up finishing one place ahead of Auer in eighth, despite having a problem with his car’s ABS system during the race.

After reviewing the incident, the race stewards decided not to give Wittmann a penalty. They called it a “racing incident” since it happened during the hectic opening laps.

Onboard footage from another driver, Rene Rast, showed that Wittmann lost control for a moment, corrected his car, and slid into Auer’s path. The officials concluded that Wittmann did not cause the contact on purpose and that both drivers were caught up in the chaos of the start.

Auer was disappointed to get only ninth after winning the previous day’s race on Saturday. He said he would usually move on from a ninth-place finish, but this result left him frustrated because he believed he could have scored more points.

Wittmann, on the other hand, was content that no penalty was given and felt the outcome was part of the intense racing in DTM. With this result, the DTM championship stays close.

Auer still leads, but the fight for the title looks set to continue over the coming rounds. Both Auer and Wittmann are expected to be competitive again when DTM returns to action.

Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.