– Thierry Vermeulen is already starting his fourth DTM season in 2026. The 23-year-old Dutchman, who, as in previous years, pilots a Ferrari 296 GT3 from Emil Frey Racing, has stood on the podium four times, but a victory is still missing. That is set to change this year (all confirmed drivers and teams at a glance).
Read more Lewis Hamilton: Samurai training, F40 and love for Japan
“The first goal is to win a race. That is very important to me,” emphasizes Vermeulen in an interview with the Dutch edition of Motorsport.com, a sister platform of Motorsport-Total.com in the Motorsport Network. “I want to show that it is possible.”
“Last year we had a few chances to do so, but for various reasons it didn’t work out,” the Ferrari driver recalls of the past season. “Beyond that, I just want to be consistent. Personally, I believe we are fast enough and have everything to compete at the front all year round.”
Thierry Vermeulen makes “significant progress”
And the signs are good: “Looking back at the last few years, I have improved very well in the rankings,” recalls Vermeulen, who finished 16th overall in his debut season in 2023, followed by a 15th place in the second year.
Photo gallery: DTM 2026: Emil Frey Team shows pink Ferrari and Verstappen design
Last season, the Ferrari driver already finished in tenth place, showing a clear improvement in the overall standings. “But also in terms of overall performance,” the Dutchman emphasizes confidently. “In the first year, I had to settle in first. We knew that the DTM is highly competitive.”
“But due to the changes in the GT Masters and the takeover of the DTM by the ADAC, it was the right decision to make my DTM debut back then. In the second and third years, you could see that not only the team but also I myself have made significant progress.”
Vermeulen admits himself: “I still need to improve”
Now Vermeulen is under pressure after teammate Jack Aitken was able to fight for the DTM crown for a long time last year. “Last season, the performance peaks were very high,” recalls the son of Raymond Vermeulen, the manager of four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen.
Read more Formula 1 expert warns: Carlos Sainz’s future is being decided now
“On the top weekends, we were simply the strongest throughout the entire weekend. If you look at the Norisring or the Red Bull Ring, we were just very competitive there. Unfortunately, for various reasons, I haven’t been able to win a race yet.”
Photo gallery: DTM 2026: Confirmed drivers and teams
Why is that? “I believe that I still need to improve in certain areas to be able to win races dominantly,” says Vermeulen, who, unlike Verstappen, did not switch to the Mercedes-AMG GT3. “And I think that as a team, we can also do certain things better to achieve the results.” (SPONSORED LINK: Secure tickets for the 2026 DTM season now!)
Ferrari driver has “worked hard over the winter”
That’s why they haven’t sat back so far. “We worked hard last winter, also with some new crew members in the team,” reveals the Emil Frey driver. “I myself have also thought a lot about certain races and why some weekends didn’t go well.”
“We had some very good peak weekends, but if you look at why we didn’t end up in the top eight of the overall standings, it’s mainly due to the weaker weekends,” the Dutchman looks back.
“In the DTM, it is crucial to avoid such weekends,” emphasizes Vermeulen, who is looking forward to his fourth DTM year with great confidence. “We have worked a lot over the winter and hope that we can show that in the new season.”
Read more Le Mans Ultimate: V1.3 ready, update in detail plus new add-on
