BMW M Motorsport will return to the DTM championship in 2026, with a pair of M4 GT3 EVOs entered by longtime BMW partner Schubert Motorsport with a pair of factory drivers.
Marco Wittmann will return to the DTM championship in 2026, in addition to his full-time duties in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Team WRT. It will be Wittmann’s 14th season in DTM, and he’s looking to add to his driver titles in 2014 and 2016. “I am really looking forward to another DTM season and am truly confident that I can be at the front again, said Wittmann. “Over the past two seasons with Schubert Motorsport, we have built a great foundation. My crew of engineers and mechanics remains almost unchanged, which is very important because we work well together. In 2025, we were able to fight for the title with both cars right up to the end. My clear goal for 2026 is to win my third DTM title.”
Marco Wittmann will pursue his third DTM championship in 2026.
Kelvin van der Linde will replace René Rast in the lineup and already has a lot of experience in the series with Audi, finishing third overall in 2021 and second in 2024. “The DTM is a very special championship for me,” said van der Linde. “It was always my childhood dream to race there and win races. I have achieved both, but the ultimate goal remains: to win the DTM title. Sheldon did it in 2022, and now it’s a kind of homecoming at Schubert Motorsport as I, his brother, will also drive for the team. The environment there is fantastic, and I felt very comfortable with the BMW M4 GT3 EVO during the successful 2025 season. In 2026, I want to be successful in the DTM right from the start and fulfill my lifelong dream of winning the drivers’ title. I am very excited and can’t wait for the season to begin.”
Kelvin van der Linde (left) talks with Schubert Motorsport Team Principal Torsten Schubert.
The Schubert Motorsport team, based in Oschersleben, Germany, has over 20 years of history with BMW and was in the hunt for the 2025 DTM championship right up through the last race. They last won a DTM championship in 2024 (team championship) and also won the drivers championship in 2022 with Sheldon van der Linde.
The DTM championship opens its 2026 season at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on the weekend of April 23rd-25th. There will be 16 rounds in the season, with two races per venue. Aside from the opening rounds in Austria and rounds three and four at Zandvoort in Holland, all other race weekends will be in Germany. You can get more information at DTM.com. The BMW M2 Cup, which utilizes the new M2 Racing car, will be a support series for DTM weekends, starting with the Lausitzring rounds in June. The M2 Cup will also support the DTM at the Norisring, Nürburgring, Sachsenring and Hockenheim race weekends.
—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy Gruppe C Photography]
