– Has the Ferrari team Emil Frey brought in an absolute top-class driver with Matteo Cairoli? The 29-year-old Italian will replace Briton Jack Aitken in the DTM in 2026, who fought for the title until the end and is leaving the Swiss team after three years. Accordingly, the pressure is high for the DTM newcomer, who also has to get to know the Ferrari 296 GT3 first, but receives a lot of advance praise from his former Mercedes-AMG teammates.
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“The guy really convinced me,” says DTM runner-up Lucas Auer, who shared the Winward team’s “Mamba” with Cairoli and Mercedes-AMG factory driver colleague Maro Engel in the GT World Challenge Europe (GTWCE) in 2025. “He’s really cool and lets it fly – right from the start.”
If you believe the Austrian, Cairoli doesn’t need much time to get used to being fast in an unfamiliar car. “We saw each other for the first time in Paul Ricard,” Auer says, referring to the pre-season tests. “It didn’t take him long to get to grips with the Mercedes. He’s definitely top-notch.”
Auer on Cairoli: Not a typical Italian?
Cairoli, who made the leap into the Porsche squad via the Porsche one-make cups, is considered a fast and experienced GT3 pilot. The man from Lake Como took victory in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in the “Grello” in 2021, but left Porsche at the end of 2023 after ten years because Lamborghini hired him as a factory driver for the prototype program in the IMSA series and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
However, since there was a break with the Iron Lynx team after only one year with the uncompetitive SC63, Cairoli and Lamborghini parted ways at the beginning of 2025. After that, he competed with Iron Lynx in the WEC and in the ELMS, and also started in the Winward Mercedes in the GTWCE endurance series, in which Cairoli, Auer, and Engel won in Monza and missed the title by one point.
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“We were a mega trio,” Auer looks back. “All individual characters, but it harmonized well.” But how does Auer describe his former colleague, who will now be his rival in the DTM in the pink Emil Frey Ferrari?
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“I wouldn’t say he’s a typical Italian,” says the 31-year-old, who will again be in the Landgraf Mercedes in 2026. “He’s calm and relaxed, has his own driving style.” Above all, Auer considers the Italian’s basic speed, which he values highly, to be “extremely good.”
What Maro Engel thinks of former colleague Cairoli
What does Engel think of Cairoli, who was even a topic as a Mercedes-AMG factory driver for 2026? “Matteo is a very pleasant guy, and working with him was a lot of fun,” the 40-year-old also looks back positively on their year together. “I think we were quite successful,” he says, referring to second place in the overall GTWCE standings.
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“He’s a pretty fast driver and someone who has been in GT racing for a long time, has also driven for various manufacturers, and has always done a very good, professional job.”
Does Engel believe that Cairoli has the necessary tools to be successful in the DTM? “I believe that he is one of the top GT drivers,” Engel answers. “Therefore, he should compete in the DTM, which he certainly deserves.”
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