Porsche driver Ayhancan Güven decides DTM title thriller with victory

Porsche driver Ayhancan Güven decides DTM title thriller with victory

Ayhancan Güven became the first Turkish driver to be crowned DTM champion in a dramatic finale at the Hockenheimring. The 27-year-old prevailed in a hard-fought duel in the final stages of Sunday's race. Güven's Manthey EMA team-mate Thomas Preining, also a former Porsche Junior, had previously won Saturday's race.

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The 2023 DTM champion finishes the season in fourth place in the overall standings. Manthey Junior Team driver Morris Schuring celebrated the best result of his still young DTM career so far with third place on Saturday and secured the title of 'Rookie of the Year'. On Saturday, the Porsche customer team Manthey had already won the DTM team championship for the second time.

The races

With a courageous manoeuvre when braking for the Sachs curve at the Hockenheim Motodrom, Ayhancan Güven secured victory in Sunday's race and with it the 2025 DTM drivers' title. The driver of the Porsche 911 GT3 R with start number 92 became the first Turkish champion in the championship's more than 40-year history. Starting from second on the grid, the 27-year-old took the lead after the first round of performance pit stops, which he maintained after the second mandatory tyre change. A safety car phase a few minutes before the finish brought Marco Wittmann, the closest pursuer, back within striking distance. The BMW driver briefly took the lead on the final lap as he entered the Motodrom, but had to concede defeat to the determined Güven just a few metres later.

"An incredible heart-stopping finale - it was a crazy thriller! There could hardly be better publicity for motorsport," emphasised Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. "We are incredibly happy that Ayhancan Güven was able to win the championship. Congratulations and a big compliment to the Manthey team, but of course also to our drivers Ayhancan Güven, Thomas Preining and, last but not least, Morris Schuring, who won the rookie classification. Manthey also won the team classification. Thank you and congratulations to all the supporters on site and also at Porsche Motorsport in Weissach who made this success possible. We can be extremely proud!"

While Güven was eight points behind before the start of Sunday's race, his Manthey EMA teammate Thomas Preining went into the race just three points behind the championship leader. However, starting from eleventh on the grid, the 2023 DTM champion was unable to make a decisive impact on the title fight. The Austrian finished the final race of the season in sixth place. Starting from seventh position, Dutch Manthey Junior Team driver Morris Schuring fell far behind after a collision in the first lap that was not his fault. He finished the race in 14th place, securing the title of 'Rookie of the Year'.

Customer team Manthey crowned team champions already on Saturday

Saturday's race started about half an hour later than originally planned due to torrential rain. Thomas Preining coped very well with the difficult conditions on the wet asphalt of the Hockenheimring. The Manthey EMA driver took the lead on the eighth lap, gradually extended it and finally won with a lead of just under 17 seconds. Morris Schuring fought for second place right up to the finish line, missing out by a mere two tenths of a second. With third place, the Dutch rookie celebrated the best result of his still young DTM career - and also secured Porsche customer team Manthey their early win of this year's team championship, their second after 2023. Ayhancan Güven in the second Manthey EMA nine-eleven rounded off Porsche's strong performance on Saturday with his fifth place.

"We have had a very impressive season with many ups and downs," recalls Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director Manthey Racing GmbH. "It's actually incredible how often Ayhancan and Thomas have alternated in the team's internal leadership. Seven victories in one year is an outstanding result; we have won almost every second race. I almost didn't dare to believe that we would win this brutally exciting finale. I am impressed by how our team performs under pressure."

"The victory in the final race of the season was not handed to us on a plate. Ayhancan Güven fought for the title with a lion's heart and prevailed with his driving skills," says Sebastian Golz, Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R. "From the preparation of the Porsche 911 GT3 R to the pit stops, the team did an absolutely flawless job; there was nothing left to improve. Our three drivers worked together brilliantly. On Saturday, Thomas Preining was able to demonstrate his talent with an impressive performance in the rain and take the win. Morris Schuring also put in a great performance this weekend in difficult conditions. From our point of view, the whole year has been a rollercoaster ride. This weekend, we were able to finish in the top group in qualifying for the first time because Manthey, the drivers and ourselves got everything right and squeezed out every last ounce of performance."

With seven first places, Porsche finished the 16-race 2025 DTM season as by far the most victorious manufacturer. Five other brands each won at least one race during the season, but none of them won more than three. Ayhancan Güven was the first to see the black and white chequered flag five times, while Thomas Preining climbed to the top step of the podium twice.

Comments after the races

Ayhancan Güven (Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R #90): "I've been working towards this kind of success since I started motorsport as a five-year-old. Winning this title now, at the age of 27, is not only very important to me, but also to my family, my fans and my home country. Before the race, I knew that only a victory would give me a realistic chance of winning the title. That was my goal. During the race, I refused to do any calculations and wasn't interested in what the others were doing. When Marco Wittmann overtook me on the last lap, my team radioed me that I had to win. So I took advantage of the tiny gap at the Motodrom and squeezed past him again."

Thomas Preining (Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91): "I'm a little disappointed with fourth place in the overall standings. On the other hand, it's a much better result than we could have expected at times. I had three retirements that were beyond our control, and we also dropped a few points here and there. The fact that we were still in contention for the title right up to the end is a positive sign in my view. Congratulations to Can! He really went for it - really cool! I'll be back on the attack next year to win my second DTM title."

Morris Schuring (Manthey Junior Team, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): "I am very proud of my first DTM podium - I have achieved my goal for the season. Unfortunately, Sunday's race did not go so well. I was hit hard right on the first lap. But the team did a great job getting my Porsche 911 GT3 R back on the track. This allowed me to collect more points for the rookie classification and secure this title. This rounds off what has been a great first DTM season for me. I am very happy."

Result Race 15

1. Thomas Preining (AUT), Manthey EMA, Porsche #91, 32 laps
2. Ricardo Feller (CHE), Land Motorsport, Audi #29, +16.899 seconds
3. Morris Schuring (NLD), Manthey Junior Team, Porsche #92, +17.009 seconds
5. Ayhancan Güven (TUR), Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R #90, +22.522 seconds

Result Race 16

1. Ayhancan Güven (TUR), Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R #90, 33 laps
2. Marco Wittmann (GER), Schubert Motorsport BMW #11, +0.169 seconds
3. Maro Engel (GER), Winward Racing, Mercedes #24, +1.394 seconds
6. Thomas Preining (AUT), Manthey EMA, Porsche #91, +7.124 seconds
14. Morris Schuring (NLD), Manthey Junior Team, Porsche #92, +15.670 seconds

Driver standings after 16 of 16 races

1. Ayhancan Güven (TUR), Manthey EMA, Porsche, 192 points
2. Lucas Auer (AUT), Team Landgraf, Mercedes-AMG, 188 points
3. Maro Engel (GER), Winward Racing, Mercedes-AMG, 184 points
4. Thomas Preining (AUT), Manthey EMA, Porsche, 182 points
16. Morris Schuring (NLD), Manthey Junior Team, Porsche, 58 points

Team standings after 16 of 16 races

1. Manthey (Porsche), 392 points
2. Schubert Motorsport (BMW), 330 points
3. Winward Racing (Mercedes-AMG), 319 points

Manufacturer standings after 16 of 16 races

1. Mercedes-AMG, 418 points
2. Porsche, 406 points
3. BMW M, 448 points