The opening round of the 2026 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters took place at the Red Bull Ring, marking Matteo Cairoli’s debut in the ADAC-promoted series. The driver from Como went up against the world’s GT3 elite at the wheel of the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo entered by Emil Frey Racing— a new challenge after his previous experiences with Porsche, Lamborghini, and Mercedes.
The weekend, characterized by unusually high temperatures, began with three free practice sessions. An additional session was introduced due to rain during pre-season testing, which had prevented proper evaluation of the new Pirelli qualifying tire.
In his first-ever DTM qualifying session, Cairoli immediately secured a top-10 result, taking eighth place on the grid for Race 1 as the best Ferrari, just over three tenths off pole position. The result highlights the high level of competitiveness in the series, which has been based on GT3 regulations since 2021. In Race 1, Cairoli was involved in several on-track battles and, despite serving a penalty lap for a pit lane infringement, fought back to finish eighth, making him the best rookie of the race.
In Race 2 qualifying, Cairoli was unable to replicate the previous day’s performance, partly due to rising air and track temperatures. Caught in traffic at Turn 1 in the early stages of the race, he dropped out of the points-paying positions, reserved for the top 15 finishers. Once again, the work of Emil Frey Racing proved crucial, delivering the fastest pit stops on both days—an important factor given the regulations requiring two mandatory stops during Sunday’s 55-minute race. The team opted for an early pit strategy on car #14 in an attempt to re-enter the top 10, but traffic during the pit sequence prevented the desired outcome.
Cairoli eventually finished Race 2 in 14th position, collecting two more points for the drivers’ standings. He leaves the opening round with a total of 10 points—most importantly, a solid foundation to build on after a weekend full of new challenges.
The DTM now heads to Zandvoort for the second round, scheduled for May 22–24. Before that, Cairoli will return to the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo with Emil Frey Racing for the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe at Brands Hatch on May 2–3.
Matteo Cairoli
“It was a very useful weekend to get familiar with both the DTM and the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. The level is extremely high and the gaps are very small, so every detail makes a difference. In Race 1 we achieved our top-10 target despite the penalty, while in Race 2 we tried a different strategy that unfortunately didn’t pay off. Overall, we take home important points and a lot of valuable data to help us improve in the upcoming rounds.”
