– Is the conflict between Timo Glock and the McLaren team Dörr escalating? After the former Formula 1 driver spoke clearly following the Sunday race at the Nürburgring and mentioned an “A and a B car” at Dörr, the McLaren crew from Frankfurt surprised with a curious press release.
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The team responds to speculation that has not yet been publicly reported. “Recently, rumors circulated through the DTM paddock that differentials used in the race cars of Ben Dörr and Timo Glock were different,” it says.
Even before the first practice at the Nürburgring, the Dörr team offered the technical commissioners of the DMSB (German Motor Sport Federation) to “check the corresponding components on both McLaren 720S GT3 Evo cars at any time.”
Dörr responds to Glock’s accusation: “We have a B and a T car”
According to the team, the officials accepted the offer and “opened the gearboxes of both vehicles. After a thorough inspection, they concluded that both differentials are identical and compliant with the rules,” Dörr announces. The parts were then “reinstalled and resealed,” after which both drivers started with them.
“I am grateful to the DMSB that there is now clarity – both drivers have the same material available,” team owner Rainer Dörr is quoted – a clear response to Glock’s accusation that he does not receive the same material. “We have a B and a T car – for Ben and for Timo,” he also directly responds to Glock’s accusation in an interview with Motorsport-Total.com.
Rumors about illegal ramp angle at Ben Dörr
But how does it come about that Dörr denies speculation that is not even publicly known? Specifically, a rumor has been circulating in the DTM paddock for some time that the Dörr team made changes to the differential of Ben Dörr’s McLaren – and swapped the ramp angles. However, only for the team owner’s son.
Explanation: If you want to achieve less locking effect when braking and turning in, a corresponding ramp angle can cause the inside and outside rear wheels to rotate at more different speeds. This positively affects the rotation of the car in the corner. “There is really performance in that,” says an engineer from the DTM paddock.
However, the ramp angle is precisely specified by the DTM GT3 homologation – a change would be a clear rule violation.
Did Timo Glock instigate the DMSB to check?
At the Norisring weekend, five cars – including Ben Dörr’s McLaren – were checked for irregularities in the differential. The Dörr team then asked Glock whether he had instigated the DMSB to check Ben Dörr’s car.
“Several cars were checked by the DMSB,” the 44-year-old cannot understand the fuss in an interview with Motorsport-Total.com at the Nürburgring. “To achieve that, I would have had to file a written protest within 30 minutes after the race ended. Did I do that or is there a corresponding document from me? No.”
The DMSB also clearly states that an inspection of the differentials at the Norisring was planned before the season, as better rotation of the cars is a big advantage on the city track with its two hairpins. (SPONSORED LINK: Get tickets now for the 2026 DTM season!)
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Basis for Norisring inspection apparently qualifying result
The basis for the selection was likely the result of the first Norisring qualifying: On Saturday, the DMSB checked the Aston Martin of Nicki Thiim, the Mercedes-AMG of Maro Engel, and the Ford of Arjun Maini – the top 3 of qualifying.
After the Sunday qualifying, the differentials of Ben Dörr’s McLaren and Thierry Vermeulen’s Emil Frey Ferrari were sealed to be inspected after the race, as official documents show.
So on Sunday, those two vehicles were checked that – if you go by the result of the first qualifying – would be the next two brands in line. Because Ben Dörr would have been fourth in the Saturday starting grid if he had not been disqualified for underweight. And since the Lamborghini of ninth-placed Maximilian Paul was wrecked, the ninth-placed Vermeulen Ferrari is next in line.
Fact is: None of the five cars were disqualified after the Norisring inspection.
Why did Dörr have himself checked at the Nürburgring?
What then happened before the Nürburgring weekend is not entirely clear: Technical coordinator Robert Maas is said to have asked the Dörr team by email why the “wheelspeeds” – i.e., the wheel rotation speeds – of Ben Dörr’s and Glock’s cars are so different. A phenomenon that also occurs with swapped ramp angles but is not definitive proof.
As a result, there was a technical inspection of the differentials of both McLaren cars by the DMSB on the Thursday before the Nürburgring weekend. That no irregularities were found is not a big surprise after the prior email inquiry.
However, the DMSB says the team itself requested the inspection to dispel the rumors. Depending on whom you talk to, there are differing accounts of whether the email inquiry or Dörr’s request to have himself checked came first. At least verbally, the DMSB and Dörr were likely already in exchange about the topic before the email inquiry.
Conflict of interest at regulator DMSB?
Under normal circumstances, differences between two vehicles – as long as everything is within legal limits – are not a case for the DMSB. In this case, however, the regulators conducted the inspection according to their own statements to give the team the opportunity to calm the situation.
With the press release, the Dörr team has now made the matter a public topic themselves. Additional questions arise from the personnel constellation: Robin Strycek, the son of Dörr’s GT3 manager Volker Strycek, has been a DMSB board member for the sports division since early 2026.
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The DMSB sees no conflict of interest in this. “I emphasize that this is separate from the technical area,” says a DMSB spokesperson. “Robin Strycek is part of the three-member full-time board and is not involved in these matters. The technical coordinator for the DTM is Robert Maas, who is commissioned by the ADAC.”
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