– Can Timo Glock finally compete at the front in his second DTM season with the McLaren Team Dörr, which starts this weekend (all info on TV times, stream etc.)? “Last year no longer exists for me,” says the ex-F1 driver, who didn’t get beyond a tenth place in 2025, to ran.de. “That was purely a catastrophe in terms of results. Everything that went wrong, went wrong with my car, and racing luck was not on my side.”
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Although the team made a step forward in 2025, “it is already the case that quite a lot was restructured again in winter, new people and managers came into the team who changed certain topics,” he refers to the new GT3 head Volker Strycek and the loss of two trusted people, including his race engineer.
“I got a new engineer – and with the limited preparation, it’s a challenge to quickly understand how the car works together,” explains Glock, who also spent “more or less half the day in the pits” at the official test day in Spielberg – as he himself communicated on Instagram – due to “technical problems”.
Timo Glock: DTM winter tests not off to a good start
For Glock, it was indeed not an optimal preparation again, as the 44-year-old had little driving time during the winter tests: At the Pirelli test in Le Castellet on November 26 and 27, Glock completed a test day, but his new race engineer Gerd Kusstatscher was not yet on board (see updated team profiles with all key personnel of the 2026 DTM season).
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Glock could not participate in the Pirelli test in Vallelunga on March 2 and 3 due to the Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne, where he served as a Sky expert, which is why he also left the car to teammate Ben Dörr at the team’s private test on March 14 in Anneau du Rhin.
Only at the second Vallelunga test on March 24 and 25 could Glock and his new race engineer work together for the first time, but then the teams were only allowed to use one car due to the tire comparison tests – and due to engine problems, the veteran and teammate Dörr together only completed 44 laps on the second day.
Glock’s help? How Dörr changed the McLaren’s kinematics
The focus of the tests was extensive changes to the McLaren, which are also intended to help Glock, as team manager Axel Funke clarifies. “Timo’s biggest criticism of the car is that there is very little feedback at the limit,” he explains. “Suddenly you lose grip – and with it the confidence or the feeling of how far you can go.”
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To improve drivability and tire warm-up behavior through a softer setup, the Dörr team, in coordination with regulator DMSB (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund), adjusted the kinematics of the 720S GT3 Evo – i.e., how the wheel suspension moves – during the winter. But how is this possible despite the strict GT3 homologation of the FIA?
According to the regulations, tolerances of plus or minus five millimeters are allowed at the suspension mounting points on the chassis – and the team operates precisely within this leeway. The trick: A so-called “bracket,” i.e., the mounting for the wishbone on the chassis, is simply turned upside down.
“We simply shifted the zero point,” explains Funke. “The center of the pyramid is at plus three – and now we turn it around and it’s at minus three. This creates a difference of six millimeters, and we would be one millimeter outside the tolerance. That means we simply say we will never again mount this bracket with the tip pointing upwards.”
How Dörr deviates from McLaren homologation
In addition, the team is working on reprogramming the ABS system, which also does not require re-homologation because this area is approved. And also for the brakes, Dörr distances itself from the McLaren homologation and will use TM Performance in 2026 instead of the homologated brake partner Alcon.
Photo gallery: DTM 2026: This is what Timo Glock’s Dörr-McLaren looks like for the new season
“We are happy with the material, but it is also an economic decision because we are getting some sponsorship,” explains Funke, why Dörr is now relying on the Italian brand TM. This change was made possible by the DTM special homologation, which allows deviations from the FIA homologation in certain areas and had to be applied for at the DMSB by the end of February.
“We made a gentleman’s agreement with all teams: Dörr Motorsport will race with TM Brakes in 2026 – and we will not switch to Alcon at the Nürburgring and back to TM at the Hockenheimring,” promises Funke. “With this, we also want to keep it fair for the creation of the Balance of Performance.”
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