Dörr makes DTM history with first pole position for McLaren

10.08.2025

Jubilation at McLaren and Dörr Motorsport: Ben Dörr drove the fastest lap in the second qualifying session at the Nürburgring on Sunday morning with a time of 1:25.620 minutes. This secured the 20-year-old his first pole position for McLaren in the DTM and puts him in first place on the starting grid for the first time. “I'm lost for words! When I heard over the radio that I'd secured pole position, I was overjoyed. It's just wonderful to see the progress we're making as a team. Today is my father's birthday, so starting from the front of the grid is the perfect gift for him,” said a delighted Dörr.

Lucas Auer (Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf) finished second, just a tenth of a second behind, and therefore has a good chance of regaining the lead in the standings on Saturday. Gilles Magnus (Comtoyou Racing) also put in a strong performance in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and finished third. Fourth place went to Lamborghini driver Jordan Pepper. However, the South African from TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT will be set back five places on the grid for the race after receiving his third warning on Saturday. Jules Gounon (Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter) finished qualifying in fifth place.

Bright sunshine greeted the 24 drivers on Sunday morning for the second qualifying session at the Eifel circuit. With a cool 14 degrees Celsius, it took a long time for the Pirelli slicks to reach their optimum operating temperature and for fast laps to be possible. Magnus was the first driver to break the 1:26.000-minute mark with two and a half minutes remaining. Shortly afterwards, Dörr set a new fastest time. Then things got dramatic: Auer took the lead on the last lap, but just eight seconds later Dörr countered and secured the first pole position of his DTM career. Front-runner Jack Aitken disappointed with 16th place and will have a tough time defending his eight-point lead in the championship against Auer.

Qualifying results, 10th race of the season, Nürburgring
1. Ben Dörr (D/Dörr Motorsport), 1:25.620 minutes
2. Lucas Auer (A/Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf), +0.100 seconds
3. Gilles Magnus (B/Comtoyou Racing), +0.131 seconds
4. Jordan Pepper (ZA/TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT), +0.192 seconds
5. Jules Gounon (F/Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter), +0.244 seconds

The complete results are available here.