DTM title race remains open: Emil Frey Racing enjoys podium success and setbacks at the Sachsenring

📌 Fast Facts 📌 
The sixth DTM race weekend at the Sachsenring offered Emil Frey Racing thrilling racing action and emotional highs and lows. In changeable conditions on Saturday, Ben Green achieved his best qualifying result to date, while Jack Aitken took the championship lead with third place in the race. On Sunday, the Brit started from pole position and dominated the race for a long time before a collision with Thomas Preining threw him far back. Ben Green secured another podium with third place, while Thierry Vermeulen had two difficult races. Nevertheless, Jack Aitken is still in a promising second place in the drivers' standings, with just two points behind leader Lucas Auer in the Mercedes-AMG ahead of the next race at the Red Bull Ring.

Race 1 – Saturday, 23rd August 2025
The eleventh race of the season was almost unbeatable in terms of excitement. A heavy rain shower shortly before the start forced all drivers to switch to rain tyres – and the wet Sachsenring presented everyone with unknown challenges. Ben Green impressed with his best qualifying result to date and moved up to second place from third on the grid with a direct overtaking maneuver on Jules Gounon (#48 Mercedes-AMG GT3). Jack Aitken started from row three alongside his main rival Lucas Auer (#22 Mercedes-AMG), with Thierry Vermeulen close behind.

The number 14 Ferrari driver Jack Aitken fought his way up from sixth to fifth place and, within a few laps, had built up a lead of more than 2.5 seconds over Lucas Auer. A tough but fair three-way battle developed between Jack Aitken, Ben Green and Luca Engstler (#19 Lamborghini), with Ben Green even being pushed onto the wet grass – but still managing to hold on to third place. Thomas Preining (#91 Porsche), who had been ploughing through the field from the start, then took third place from Jack Aitken.

The Emil Frey Racing team completed quick pitstops for Ben Green and Thierry Vermeulen, but Thierry Vermeulen slid into the gravel on a drying track with slicks that were not yet fully warmed up. Jack Aitken's pitstop took less than seven seconds, and he returned to the track in fifth place. As has happened several times this season, there was another clash between Thierry Vermeulen in the #69 Ferrari 296 GT3 and Maro Engel (#24 Mercedes-AMG), who threw the Dutchman far back.

The Safety Car, which came onto the track with just 5 minutes and 30 seconds remaining, and the onset of rain made for four thrilling final laps. Jack Aitken once again fought a thrilling battle with Jules Gounon for third place, while Ben Green lost ground and was pushed into the gravel trap on the final lap in his #10 Ferrari – a bitter end to a strong performance. Jack Aitken secured third place shortly before the end and thus regained the drivers´ championship lead.

Race 2 – Sunday, 24th August 2025
Jack Aitken started the race from pole position in sunny conditions at 12 degrees Celsius. His best time in qualifying not only secured him first place on the grid, but also three additional points. Ben Green once again put in a strong performance and placed his #10 Ferrari in fifth place on the grid, while Thierry Vermeulen started the race from eleventh place.

Jack Aitken confidently defended his lead and quickly built up a lead of over a second. Despite carrying five kilograms of ‘success ballast’ after Saturday's podium finish, the Brit initially remained in the lead. Ben Green simultaneously worked his way up to fourth place, while Thierry Vermeulen lost a place in the #69 Ferrari.

After an early first pitstop for Jack Aitken, the race remained exciting: Although Thomas Preining in the #91 Porsche initially returned to the track ahead of the Emil Frey Racing driver, Jack Aitken immediately countered in the #14 Ferrari and passed the #91 on the outside. With fast lap times, he once again comfortably took the lead. However, Thomas Preining came dangerously close on lap 15, and after a lap-long battle, the two finally made contact on lap 20: Jack Aitken spun, landed in the gravel trap and was able to continue after a long back-and-forth. The Safety Car had to be deployed, which brought the field closer together, and Jack Aitken rejoined at the back of the field after the collision.

Ben Green remained in the leading group during this phase and defended hard against Jordan Pepper in the #63 Lamborghini. Despite a slight delay at the second pitstop, the Rookie remained within reach of the podium and drove at full throttle until the end. Thierry Vermeulen was in sixth place at one point but fell back after the second pitstop.

In the end, Ben Green narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing in a well-deserved fourth place – but a subsequent disqualification of Ben Dörr meant that all drivers moved up one place, giving Ben Green third place and another podium finish. After being in a promising position to score points, Thierry Vermeulen crossed the finishing line in 13th place after Morris Schuring in the #92 Porsche had pushed him off the track shortly before. Jack Aitken finished 15th after the updated result, earning an important point for the drivers' championship. The Englishman now has 149 points, just two points behind championship leader Lucas Auer in the Mercedes-AMG.

TEAM QUOTES - Emil Frey Racing
Lorenz Frey-Hilti, Team Principal 
"Sunday's race was a big disappointment for us because we could have gone into the next race with a good lead in the drivers' championship. Now we're back in second place, but everything is still up for grabs. Saturday was an incredibly turbulent race with the chaotic weather, and it was a real shame for Ben Green to end up in the gravel trap after being in a top position, and the same goes for Thierry Vermeulen. Jack Aitken's spin caused by Thomas Preining was very bitter, and unfortunately Ben had bad luck at the pitstop and lost time when he had to let the Aston Martin in, but he still achieved a good result. Nevertheless, we are looking forward to the upcoming race at the Red Bull Ring with confidence."

Jürg Flach, Technical Director
"We had another strong weekend. After Friday's free practice sessions, I wasn't sure where we would stand, but our qualifying and race performance proved to be absolutely competitive. A podium finish in difficult conditions on Saturday was therefore well deserved and important. The race for Jack Aitken on Sunday was very frustrating, as Thomas Preining's move in Turn 1 ruined his race. Ben Green's strong third place, on the other hand, was very pleasing and important for the team championship."

DRIVER QUOTES - Emil Frey Racing 
Jack Aitken (Great Britain)
"We had challenging conditions on Saturday. Especially after switching to slicks, you needed to have a good feel for the car. That requires maximum concentration. But when you find the right line with cold tyres on a wet track and feel the grip, it's great fun. In the final stages, I watched the battles for position ahead of me closely and was even able to move up one place. Sunday was obviously very disappointing, and after securing pole position, we were well on our way to scoring important points for the championship. Nevertheless, everything is still open, and we are feeling positive about the next race at the Red Bull Ring."

Thierry Vermeulen (The Netherlands)
“The team once again provided me with a very competitive car, and I have to apologise because it was my mistakes that prevented us from achieving better positions. In the first race, I made a mistake that had major consequences. Now we're off to the Red Bull Ring for test drives, where I hope to finally achieve the results the team deserves.”

Ben Green (Great Britain)
"It was a really great weekend. It was very nice that we ended up on the podium in the second race, and I'm happy with the work we did as a team this weekend. The crew did some really strong pitstops, and our good momentum from the second half of the season has continued. I'm really looking forward to the Red Bull Ring in a few weeks."