Matteo Cairoli was in action from 9 to 11 October in the final round of the DTM season, at the Hockenheim circuit. At the wheel of Emil Frey Racing’s Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, the Como-born driver had to face an eventful weekend, characterised by some unfortunate episodes that prevented him from collecting all the potential shown during the season. Arriving at the final round still mathematically in the fight for the title, Cairoli tackled the two races with the aim of closing in the best possible way a year that had seen him as a protagonist from the very first rounds.
The first difficulties emerged already during qualifying for Race 1, held on a wet track. The strategic tyre choice did not allow car number 14 to express all its speed, forcing Matteo to start from the back rows. In a session in which the asphalt conditions made it particularly complex to identify the ideal window to make the most of the tyres, the Como-born driver thus had to prepare a comeback race.
The first race of the weekend proved just as complicated. Involved in some close battles, Cairoli was the protagonist of a contact that caused a slow puncture, progressively compromising his race. Despite the difficulties, the Emil Frey Racing driver continued to push, trying to reach the finish in the points zone. His fight was interrupted, however, right on the last lap, when the Ferrari stopped in turn 3, nullifying the efforts made up to that point.
The response came in the second race, in which Cairoli rediscovered competitiveness, finishing in sixth place after starting from fifth position on the grid. A result that allowed him to conclude the weekend with a placing in the upper part of the standings.
The final balance gives Matteo Cairoli fifth position in the DTM 2026 drivers’ standings, with a total of 160 points. A significant result at the end of his debut season in one of the main international series reserved for GT3 cars. During the year, the Como-born driver established himself as one of the championship protagonists, taking three victories and being the first driver to reach this milestone in the season. The successes achieved at Zandvoort, at the Lausitzring and at the Nürburgring represented the most significant moments of a journey that confirmed the competitiveness of the pairing formed by Cairoli and Emil Frey Racing.
Matteo Cairoli
“It seemed like yesterday that the season had just begun and now here we are at Hockenheim to close the circle. It’s fantastic to close the championship here, there’s an extraordinary atmosphere and crowd. Closing my first season in the DTM with three victories and fifth place in the championship is an important result even if we didn’t always manage to get what we deserved for our potential. I am still proud of the work done together with Emil Frey Racing and the results we managed to achieve during the season; managing to win so quickly in the DTM is the result of teamwork and this represents an important base to restart from. I thank the whole team for the support and commitment shown in this first year of mine in the DTM”.
