Overview
- Thomas Preining put his Manthey-Porsche on pole for Race 1 after converting strong Friday practice form into the fastest lap in Saturday's 20-minute qualifying, marking his fifth DTM pole and his first since 2024.
- Luca Engstler set the second-fastest time in the Abt-Lamborghini but his result is provisional while race stewards review an allegation that he obstructed Tom Kalender, a decision that could alter the starting grid.
- Mercedes-AMG showed single-lap pace with Maro Engel and Lucas Auer qualifying third and fourth and Jules Gounon making the top six, and Ben Dörr placed fifth as the grid filled out with familiar frontrunners.
- Championship leader Nicki Thiim struggled to 18th on the grid and publicly mocked rivals' Balance-of-Performance complaints, highlighting rising tensions over BoP settings that affect car competitiveness.
- Oschersleben's technical layout favors Porsche and the weekend's BoP debate means steward rulings and race results here could quickly influence the title fight and team strategies going forward.