DTM rookie at 38 years old: This is how Lamborghini factory driver Marco Mapelli ticks

– Marco Mapelli is one of the four rookies in the DTM 2026 season alongside Bastian Buus, Finn Wiebelhaus, and Matteo Cairoli, although the Italian, at 38 years old, is also among the older drivers in the current starting field (all teams and drivers). Only Timo Glock (44 years) and Maro Engel (40 years) are older.

Read more Why Red Bull urgently needs «a prominent new signing»

That Mapelli is racing for Abt in the DTM this year and will pilot one of the four new Lamborghini Temerario GT3 cars in the field is no coincidence: The Italian has been part of Lamborghini’s factory squad since 2017, has extensive GT3 experience, and was even significantly involved in developing the new car.

Marco Mapelli is someone who consciously avoids the spotlight and does not tend to boast about his successes. Even a lap record on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, which he set in 2018 in the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, is not something the reserved Italian mentions on his own.

The 38-year-old has stood on the podium at both the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring and, together with teammate Andrea Caldarelli, won all three titles of the GT World Challenge Europe (overall standings, Endurance Cup, and Sprint Cup) in 2019.

Mapelli “never had the dream” of being a professional racing driver

“I don’t like to call it a career,” says the Lamborghini driver from Seregno in northern Italy when asked about his motorsport biography so far. “Coming from a small town and doing what you love was already like a dream back then.”

Photo gallery: DTM 2026: Abt unveils new Lamborghini in Red Bull design

“I never really thought much about the future because we were a completely normal family and couldn’t afford motorsport,” Mapelli looks back on his beginnings in motorsport. “That’s why I was always dependent on the support of others.”

But his abilities apparently already showed in karting. “I was contacted by a go-kart manufacturer and asked if I wanted to drive for them,” the Italian adds, but “that wasn’t easy either because I constantly had to prove myself.”

Becoming a professional racing driver was even “never a dream” for Mapelli at the start of his career, he recalls. “Because even back then, I was happy to be able to drive as a factory driver in the go-kart sector without having to pay for it.”

Motorsport initially just “a kind of Sunday pastime”

That Mapelli found his way into motorsport at all was more or less a coincidence. “I remember that in 1993 I was at a rental kart track with my family, just for fun, but I don’t remember much more,” says the reserved Italian.

“The next day I had my first race in a mini kart, which was really fun.” Only a few years later, specifically in 1997, did Mapelli finally start racing more seriously. “In Italy, you have to be ten years old to participate in national races, so we went with my father and my uncle.”

“Back then, it was kind of a Sunday pastime for me,” admits the now 38-year-old. “We had no motorsport tradition in the family and therefore no concrete goals. But I became more and more emotionally involved in the sport; instead of playing football or something, I had much more fun racing.”

Step by step, this developed into a path to professional sport. “I fought worldwide against drivers like Nico Hülkenberg, Sebastian Vettel, and my later Lamborghini teammate Edoardo Mortara,” Mapelli recalls about his early kart races.

Marco Mapelli remains without success in formula racing

But not everything went smoothly in the further course of his early career. “Then, at some point, I woke up from a nightmare because at the end of 2003 I changed manufacturer and realized how tough motorsport can be because the team I switched to was dissolved.”

Mapelli was not discouraged by this and reoriented himself. “So instead of looking for another constructor, I got the license for cars and switched to formula racing,” adds the current factory driver, who initially started in the Italian Formula Renault.

Read more WEC Imola 2026: Giovinazzi saves Ferrari pole against Toyota

In the following years, Mapelli started in the Austrian Formula 3 Championship and the International Formula Master, but the big breakthroughs did not come. “I quickly realized how difficult it is financially to get into the right team with the right car,” admits the Italian.

It was not until the 2010 season that this year’s DTM rookie attracted attention again when he won the GT Cup classification in the Italian GT Championship. After further successes, Mapelli finally caught Lamborghini’s attention, which brought him his first factory contract in 2017.

Mapelli also wants to “give something back” to Lamborghini

“Every good result is a great feeling,” adds the current Lamborghini driver with a smile. “On the track, every success, every race I win, also means giving something back because Lamborghini places a lot of trust in me.”

Photo gallery: DTM 2026: Confirmed drivers and teams

The triple triumph in the GT World Challenge Europe was, however, the “most satisfying” of all his previous successes because no one had achieved that before and no one has been able to repeat it since. “Winning is, of course, the most important thing, but it always involves a combination of many factors.”

“In 2024, we were only a few points behind the title winners, and in 2025 Lamborghini won the 24 Hours of Spa almost without any problems with the car. It is a team effort, and seeing how all the hard work pays off is the biggest highlight.”

Success with the new Temerario and Abt?

Mapelli wants to achieve such a highlight this year together with Abt also in the DTM. He already knows the team from the Nordschleife, where he has driven the Abt Lamborghini in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring over the past three years.

And Abt also knows that Mapelli has the potential for DTM successes. The new Lamborghini Temerario GT3, which the Italian helped develop to a large extent, is supposed to support this. “The most important point in development was to make the car more drivable,” says the Lamborghini driver.

Because the previous Huracan GT3 had a relatively narrow operating window, so one could “easily ‘get lost’ both in setup and driving,” admits Mapelli. “That’s exactly what we wanted to improve: more comfort in the car, better airflow, overall a vehicle that is easier to handle.”

“The engine also plays a big role in drivability; turbo power instead of a naturally aspirated engine means you have to manage the torque much more, at the same time you use less of the track and have to be more careful over curbs, for example.”

Marco Mapelli likes to spend his free time at home

“Mechanically, we tried to open the drivability and setup window as wide as possible so that different driving styles can cope with the car without major difficulties,” adds the Abt Lamborghini driver, who hopes for the next success in his “career.”

That leaves only one question: What is Mapelli like privately? “Between races and tests, there really isn’t much free time,” admits the Italian. “Honestly, I like to relax and stay at home since I spend most of my time on planes or in hotels.”

“I ride my bike a lot and spend time with my family and with the people who miss you when you are on the road,” says Mapelli and reveals his weakness: “It is difficult to completely switch off from work – I still have to work on that.”

Read more Pol Espargaro analyzes: What Acosta is doing differently now