The thrilling duel between Ayhancan Guven and Marco Wittmann on the final lap of the DTM decider at Hockenheim was the race’s big talking point that sparked heated debate.
Just a few corners before the finish, Wittmann took the lead from Guven and seemed to be on his way to victory. But the Manthey Porsche driver struck back just seconds later, reclaiming the top spot with a controversial move in the Sachskurve.
“The attack from my side [Wittmann’s pass on Guven] was very fair,” emphasised Wittmann, who had drawn alongside the Manthey Porsche driver between Turns 11 and 12 and was able to pass him at the entrance to the Motodrom. “At some point I could see the wall coming closer and closer, there was also a bit of paint exchanged on my part.
“The move [by Guven] in the Sachskurve was a bit questionable, you can definitely debate that. I was hit from behind, even though I had actually closed the door. In my opinion, that was somewhat debatable.”
How did Guven see it from his car? “My engineer yelled, ‘You have to win!’ exactly at the moment Wittmann overtook me,” he said. “I had a good exit, he moved slightly, and I saw a gap of about 0.9 car lengths.
“I know you’re not allowed to move under braking, so I thought: that’s my spot.”
In an interview with Autosport sister site Motorsport-Total.com, Guven later added: “I just did it without thinking. Honestly, it was really close, because this is a very tricky corner, slightly banked, and I was on the grass.”
Race winner and Champion Ayhancan Güven, Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3-R
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
Race control took a closer look at the incident on the final lap but decided against imposing a penalty. According to information from Motorsport-Total.com, race director Sven Stoppe judged the situation to be a case of “moving under braking” by Wittmann.
The BMW driver had changed his line again while braking, even though he had already entered the corner from a wide outside position. That’s precisely what the rule is meant to prevent, because a driver must decide before braking whether to defend on the inside or stay on the outside.
Television footage also clearly showed the BMW’s nose dipping – an indication that Wittmann was already braking before changing his line again – which led to why Guven escaped without a penalty.
“Two drivers, two opinions – we could discuss this forever,” said the BMW driver, who couldn’t understand the accusation of moving under braking. “There wasn’t really any space, and I don’t know if he would have made the corner if I hadn’t been there.”
Thanks in part to the contact with Wittmann’s BMW, Guven managed to make the corner, allowing him to reclaim the lead in the final metres: “I still had to defend through the last two corners because he had the better exit, but I managed it.”
The victory handed Guven the 2025 DTM title – taken in such dramatic circumstances.
“I’ll have to watch the whole race again tonight. For me as a motorsport fan, it was a crazy race – maybe one of the best in history,” grinned the new DTM champion. “I think a finale like this, on this track, in that corner, on the last lap, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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