– It is well known that the starting light in the DTM usually turns green at 1:30 p.m. So many TV viewers were probably surprised during the second DTM race at the Sachsenring when ProSieben displayed the TV times for the season finale in Hockenheim during the broadcast.
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Because while the broadcast on Saturday (October 10) starts as usual at 12:55 p.m., ProSieben will only go on air at 3:55 p.m. on Sunday (October 11) for the last DTM race of the year, three hours later. Behind this is an exciting plan by the ADAC, in which the fans play a central role.
The season finale does not start as usual at 1:30 p.m., but only at 4:30 p.m. The DTM thus forms the finale of the entire race weekend in Hockenheim. Last year, after the DTM finale, the final races of the ADAC GT Masters and the ADAC GT4 Germany still took place.
ADAC wants more fan proximity at the DTM
“We want to conclude the event with the DTM race as the highlight and the subsequent awards ceremony,” reveals an ADAC spokesperson. “After the DTM race ends, we will open the gates so that fans can go onto the track and to the awards ceremony.”
Or in other words: The DTM is modeled on the example of Formula 1. In Monza, for example, fans are allowed to flood the track after the checkered flag falls and celebrate their heroes up close. A similar experience is now to be offered at the DTM finale in Hockenheim.
That the ADAC is focusing on more fan proximity is not new. Already at the races in Oschersleben and at the Nürburgring, the awards ceremony was not held on the classic podium but in the spectator area behind the pits. The fans were much closer to the drivers and could celebrate together with the winners.
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DTM champion 2026 could be decided on Saturday
This concept will now be taken to the next level at the finale in Hockenheim. After the race, the start/finish area will be opened to all fans. This way, spectators can follow the winner and championship ceremony up close. As in the previous year, the ceremony of the new champion is to take place in front of the large LED wall.
However, it is still open whether the championship will still be at stake in the race on Sunday. According to the current status, there is much to suggest that the DTM champion 2026 will already be decided on Saturday. Because Manthey-Porsche driver Thomas Preining travels to the finale in Hockenheim with a comfortable lead.
After the weekend at the Sachsenring, the Austrian leads by a solid 23 points ahead of his closest pursuer Maro Engel in the Winward-Mercedes. Marco Wittmann in the Schubert-BMW is already 24 points behind in third place. All other drivers only have theoretical title chances left. A total of 56 points are still up for grabs.
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If Preining delivers a strong race on Saturday, he could already be crowned DTM champion 2026 prematurely. Then the big finale on Sunday would take place without a title decision—but with a special highlight for the fans.
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