Let’s cut the crap. What went down at Lausitzring this past weekend wasn’t racing; it was a magic show, and Manthey EMA’s Porsche was the star illusionist. They pulled a disappearing act in Race 1 at Lausitzring, then reappeared with a pace that screams ‘foul play’ louder than a referee’s whistle in a fixed fight. This wasn’t some minor tweak; it was a blatant, in-your-face performance jump that has the entire DTM paddock screaming ‘BoP bluff!’
Driver Thomas Preining and his #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R looked utterly lost on Saturday, May 11, 2026. He qualified a pitiful P12, then crawled to a P9 finish in Race 1. Mercedes-AMG and BMW cars didn’t just run circles around him; they made him look like he was driving a rental car in a supercar race. It was a struggle to watch, a performance so uninspired it almost felt… intentional.
Then came the overnight ‘magic.’ DTM officials, the ITR, tweaked the Balance of Performance. Porsche got a -5kg weight reduction. They also saw a marginal boost pressure increase. ‘Standard stuff,’ you might think? Not when you see the daylight robbery that unfolded next.
The Sunday Punch: Unbelievable Dominance
Sunday, May 12, 2026, was a different story entirely. Preining didn’t just take pole position for Race 2; he annihilated the competition to get it, by a massive margin. Then he led every single lap. He won the race by over 8 seconds – a lifetime in DTM. That’s not just ‘setup changes.’ That’s a goddamn switch being flipped, a hidden turbo button suddenly engaged.
Rival teams aren’t just ‘not buying’ Manthey’s story; they’re spitting mad and screaming ‘BoP bluff!’ from the rooftops. They claim Manthey intentionally ‘sandbagged’ in Race 1, deliberately holding back their true pace.
The goal was simple: manipulate the system to get a more favorable BoP adjustment for Race 2. The sudden, overwhelming dominance on Sunday isn’t just suspicious; it’s a smoking gun. It’s too perfect, too convenient, too damn blatant to be mere coincidence.
Team principals are calling for blood, and rightly so. They demand a full, no-holds-barred investigation.
The DMSB, Germany’s motorsport federation, needs to step in and flex some serious muscle. They’re not just asking for penalties; they’re demanding a public execution.
Disqualification from Race 2 is the absolute minimum. Points deductions could cripple Manthey’s championship hopes, sending a clear message. Massive fines are also on the table.
This kind of cynical stunt cannot, and must not, stand.
Thomas Jäger of Mercedes-AMG Team HRT didn’t hold back. “The performance jump was simply too extreme and too obvious,” Jäger reportedly stated. “If this kind of ‘strategy’ is allowed, it undermines the entire championship. The series needs to send a strong message with severe penalties.”
Andreas Roos from BMW M Motorsport echoed the sentiment, but his words carry more weight than just a complaint. He’s talking about the very integrity of the sport. This isn’t just about one race or one team; it’s about the future of fair competition in DTM. If this kind of manipulation becomes the norm, what’s left for the fans?
Manthey’s Defense: A Convenient Narrative?
Manthey EMA, of course, denies everything. Preining, with a straight face, claimed “significant setup changes overnight.” He said the “car just clicked,” praising his team’s “incredibly hard work.”
They optimized everything, apparently. Call me cynical, but that’s a convenient story, isn’t it? A fairy tale spun for the cameras.
But the numbers don’t lie. A P12 to P1 jump in 24 hours? In DTM, where fractions of a second decide everything? That doesn’t just raise a few eyebrows; it screams ‘bullshit’ louder than a stadium crowd.
DTM organizers are now reviewing all data, but they’re not just under pressure; they’re in a pressure cooker. Sources suggest an investigation is coming – it better be a damn thorough one, with real teeth.
The BoP Battlefield: Where Integrity Goes to Die?
Let’s be real. This isn’t Manthey’s first rodeo, and anyone who thinks otherwise is living in a fantasy land. The internet is ablaze with accusations, and for good reason.
Remember the “magic mapping” claims against BMW in 2025? Manthey was crying foul then, playing the victim. Now, social media users are dubbing them ‘penalty magnets,’ and the shoe fits.
Their rap sheet includes Nürburgring 24h grid drops for yellow-flag speeding, and that Oschersleben pit-rule farce. This team knows how to play the edge, how to push the envelope. Sometimes, they don’t just go over it; they leap right off the cliff.
The backlash against Manthey is savage, and frankly, deserved. Users on Reddit aren’t just calling them ‘whiny kids’; they’re accusing them of clutching ‘participation trophies’ while simultaneously trying to rig the game.
The hypocrisy isn’t lost on anyone. They accuse others, then get caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
It’s a vicious cycle in motorsports, sure. Every team tries to find an advantage, but some just get caught doing it more obviously, more brazenly.
But this isn’t just about Manthey; it’s about the cutthroat, no-holds-barred nature of DTM itself. Every team is looking for an edge, a millimeter of advantage. They will push every boundary, exploit every loophole, and twist every rule.
The Balance of Performance system, designed to equalize the playing field, has instead become a weapon. It’s not a fair fight; it’s a strategic battlefield where teams actively try to manipulate the system.
They make their cars look slower than they are, hide their true pace, and then unleash it when the rules, or their perceived manipulation of them, favor them. It’s a dark art, and it’s poisoning the sport.
The DTM leadership needs to come down hard. Not just on Manthey, but on the entire rotten practice of BoP bluffing.
If this cynical manipulation becomes standard operating procedure, the series is dead in the water. It will be a farce, a rigged spectacle, and the fans will walk away.
They want real racing, raw competition, and fair fights. They don’t want to see teams gaming the system and making a mockery of the sport.
The consequences for this kind of behavior must be swift, severe, and undeniable. Otherwise, every team will try this trick, the integrity of DTM will evaporate, and the series will lose all credibility. It simply cannot afford that.
Manthey might think they pulled a fast one, but the rest of the paddock isn’t just ready to expose it – they’re ready to burn it down. This isn’t just racing anymore; it’s a war for the soul of DTM. And if the series doesn’t drop the hammer with extreme prejudice, they might as well pack up their tents and call it a day. The integrity of the sport hangs in the balance, and the fans are watching. What’s it gonna be, DTM? A real championship, or a rigged circus?
Photo: Steffen Prößdorf
Source: Google News
