Thomas Preining

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Thomas Preining
2023-05-28 Motorsport, DTM, Oschersleben 1DX 5396 by Stepro.jpg
Preining in 2023
NationalityAustria
Born (1998-07-21) 21 July 1998 (age 26)
Linz, Austria
DTM career
Debut season 2022
Current team Manthey EMA
Racing licence FIA Silver Driver.png FIA Silver (until 2018)
FIA Gold Driver.png FIA Gold (2019–2023)
FIA Platinum Driver.png FIA Platinum (2024–)
Car number91
Former teams KÜS Team Bernhard
Starts47
Wins6
Poles4
Fastest laps3
Best finish1st in 2023
Previous series
2019
2019
2017-18
2015-16
2015-16
ADAC GT Masters
European Le Mans Series
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany
Italian F4 Championship
ADAC Formula 4
Championship titles
2023
2018
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany

Thomas Preining (born 21 July 1998) is an Austrian racing driver, currently competing in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, where he is the 2023 champion. He also won the 2018 German Porsche Carrera Cup championship.

Contents

Career

Formula 4

Preining's first season in single seaters was in 2015 with German team ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg where he competed at the first two rounds in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship where he got a podium in only his third race at this level at Oschersleben. Preining finished the season with 16 points. [1] Preining competed in another F4 championship in 2015 where he raced at the first round in the Italian F4 Championship at Vallelunga with German team Mücke Motorsport. [2] His best finish was 10th.

In 2016 he returned to the ADAC F4 grid for the full season but this time racing for Austrian team Lechner Racing. Preining would go on to finished the season with two wins and a further 4 podiums, this helped him to 4th in the championship with 180.5 points. Championship winner, Joey Mawson, finished 193.5 points ahead of Preining. [3] Like with the German championship, Preining returned to race in the Italian F4 Championship in 2016. [4] He only competed one round and his best result was 12th.

Porsche Carrera Cup Germany

In 2017 Preining made the switch from single seater to Sports car where he competed in the 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup in Germany racing for Konrad Motorsport. Preining won two races meaning he finished 5 points behind Christian Engelhart in 7th. Preining made the switch to his former team Lechner Racing for 2018 where he dominated the season, winning 10 of 14 races and only failing to finish on the podium twice. He won the championship by 37 points over Michael Ammermüller.

Formula E

Due to Preining's affiliation with Porsche, their Formula E team offered him a drive in the Rookie test at Marrakech. He partnered experienced French driver Frédéric Makowiecki. Preining's fastest time 1:19.374 which was almost 3 seconds slower than Nick Cassidy's fastest time of a 1:16.467.

In May 2024, Preining would again drive for Porsche in the Rookie Test at Berlin. [5] Just a year later on February, Preining returned to Formula E during the 2025 Jeddah ePrix rookie practice session with Porsche. [6]

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

In December 2021, it was confirmed that Preining would race full-time in the 2022 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters by driving the only Porsche 911 GT3 R car fielded by KÜS Team Bernhard. [7] In the first race of the fourth round at the Norisring, Preining scored his first win in the DTM, which was also the first win for a Porsche car in the series. [8] His second win in the DTM came in the second race of the seventh round at the Red Bull Ring, which saw him starting from seventh position and making several overtakes on a wet track, before being able to maintain the lead as the track began to dry. [9] Ahead of the eighth and final round at the Hockenheimring, Preining was one of the five drivers who had a chance of winning the championship title. However, he was in one of the cars that were involved in a major crash during the Saturday race. Although he was able to extract himself from his badly damaged car, the doctors eventually declared him unfit to participate in the Sunday race. [10] This left him in 5th place in the drivers' standings, with a total of 116 points.

In 2023, Preining returned to the series for a second consecutive season, moving to fellow Porsche outfit Manthey EMA. [11] In addition, Preining competed in the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with Rutronik Racing, sharing a Pro class entry with Laurin Heinrich and DTM teammate Dennis Olsen. [12]

Racing record

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2015 ADAC Formula 4 Championship ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg 600011621st
Italian F4 Championship Mücke Motorsport 30000029th
2016 ADAC Formula 4 Championship Lechner Racing 242206180.55th
Italian F4 Championship 30000037th
2017 Porsche GT3 Cup Brasil - Endurance 100002923rd
Porsche Supercup Konrad Motorsport 400002219th
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany 1410021307th
2018 Porsche Supercup Lechner Racing 1043351353rd
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany 14101111122791st
24H GT Series - 911 Fach Auto Tech10011 ? ?
2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Gulf Racing UK 500305311th
2019 International GT Open Frikadelli Racing200000NC†
European Le Mans Series - LMGTE Proton Competition 311213210th
ADAC GT Masters Precote Herberth Motorsport1410017913th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 Frikadelli Racing Team10000N/ADNF
2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Dempsey-Proton Racing 5000012.515th
Formula E TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Test/Development driver
2020 Intercontinental GT Challenge Absolute Racing10000817th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup GPX Racing40110330th
2021 ADAC GT Masters KÜS Team Bernhard 1400027413th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 Falken Motorsports 10000N/A9th
2022 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters KÜS Team Bernhard 1520141165th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Dinamic Motorsport 10000628th
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 200000NC†
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 10000N/ADNF
2023 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Manthey EMA1633282461st
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 200000NC†
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 10000N/ADNF
Intercontinental GT Challenge 100013015th
Rutronik Racing 10000
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 50011387th
FIA GT World Cup HubAuto Racing10000N/A15th
2024 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Manthey EMA1611131585th
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9
Intercontinental GT Challenge
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 10001N/A2nd
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Andretti Motorsports 1000023958th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Phantom Global Racing10000427th
FIA GT World Cup Origine Motorsport
2025 Middle East Trophy - GT3 Pure Rxcing
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Manthey EMA
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro Proton Competition

† As Preining was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.

Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam123456789101112131415161718192021222324PosPoints
2015 ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg OSC1
1

10
OSC1
2

29
OSC1
3

3
RBR
1

14
RBR
2

30
RBR
3

26
SPA
1
SPA
2
SPA
3
LAU
1
LAU
2
LAU
3
NÜR
1
NÜR
2
NÜR
3
SAC
1
SAC
2
SAC
3
OSC2
1
OSC2
2
OSC2
3
HOC
1
HOC
2
HOC
3
21st16
2016 Lechner Racing OSC1
1

6
OSC1
2

14
OSC1
3

3
SAC
1

28
SAC
2

18
SAC
3

13
LAU
1

3
LAU
2

7
LAU
3

8
OSC2
1

2
OSC2
2

DSQ
OSC2
3

5
RBR
1

1
RBR
2

Ret
RBR
3

16
NÜR
1

8
NÜR
2

7
NÜR
3

1
ZAN
1

14
ZAN
2

7
ZAN
3

10
HOC
1

5
HOC
2

2
HOC
3

5
4th180.5

Complete Porsche Supercup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam1234567891011Pos.Points
2017 Walter Lechner Racing Team CAT CAT MON RBR SIL HUN
18†
SPA SPA MNZ
8†
MEX
6
MEX
5
19th22
2018 BWT Lechner Racing CAT
Ret
MON
14
RBR
1
SIL
8
HOC
4
HUN
1
SPA
1
MNZ
1
MEX
3
MEX
4
3rd135

As Preining was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantClassChassisEngine12345678RankPoints
2018–19 Gulf Racing UKLMGTE Am Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 SPA LMS SIL FUJ
4
SHA
9
SEB
4
SPA
7
LMS
4
11th53
2019–20 Dempsey-Proton Racing LMGTE Am Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 SIL
11
FUJ
9
SHA
6
BHR
Ret
COA
9
SPA LMS
NC
BHR 25th12.5

Complete European Le Mans Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantClassChassisEngine123456RankPoints
2019 Proton Competition LMGTE Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 LEC
7
MNZ
WD
CAT SIL
1
SPA
WD
ALG
Ret
10th35

Complete ADAC GT Masters results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamCar1234567891011121314DCPoints
2019 Precote Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R OSC
1

6
OSC
2

1
MST
1

21
MST
2

Ret
RBR
1

7
RBR
2

Ret
ZAN
1

Ret
ZAN
2

17
NÜR
1

9
NÜR
2

11
HOC
1

24
HOC
2

6
SAC
1

13
SAC
2

8
13th79
2021 KÜS Team Bernhard Porsche 911 GT3 R OSC
1

26
OSC
2

8
RBR
1

11
RBR
2

17
ZAN
1

Ret
ZAN
2

Ret
LAU
1

Ret
LAU
2

15
SAC
1

5
SAC
2

3
HOC
1

12
HOC
2

4
NÜR
1

3
NÜR
2

Ret
13th74

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLapsPos.Class
Pos.
2019 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gulf Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ben Barker
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Michael Wainwright
Porsche 911 RSR GTE
Am
33138th8th
2020 Flag of Germany.svg Dempsey-Proton Racing Flag of the United States.svg Dominique Bastien
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Adrien de Leener
Porsche 911 RSR GTE
Am
238NCNC

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantChassis12345678910111213141516RankPoints
2022 KÜS Team Bernhard Porsche 911 GT3 R ALG
1

13
ALG
2

Ret
LAU
1

Ret
LAU
2

Ret
IMO
1

43
IMO
2

Ret
NOR
1

12
NOR
2

9
NÜR
1

Ret
NÜR
2

7
SPA
1

32
SPA
2

3
RBR
1

5
RBR
2

1
HOC
1

Ret
HOC
2

DNS
5th116
2023 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) OSC
1

11
OSC
2

31
ZAN
1

7
ZAN
2

22
NOR
1

122
NOR
2

12
NÜR
1

32
NÜR
2

5
LAU
1

15
LAU
2

4
SAC
1

2
SAC
2

4
RBR
1

6
RBR
2

3
HOC
1

11
HOC
2

11
1st246
2024 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) OSC
1

10
OSC
2

13
LAU
1

32
LAU
2

11
ZAN
1

14
ZAN
2

10
NOR
1

14
NOR
2

6
NÜR
1

7
NÜR
2

7
SAC
1

61
SAC
2

4
RBR
1

12
RBR
2

2
HOC
1

14
HOC
2

4
5th158

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantClassMakeEngine12345678910RankPoints
2024 Andretti Motorsports GTD Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 DAY
9
SEB LBH LGA WGL MOS ELK VIR IMS PET 58th239

References

  1. David, Gruz (April 8, 2015). "Dienst, Preining, Zhou headline ADAC F4 entry list".
  2. "Entry list" (PDF). acisportitalia.it. 2015. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  3. "Thomas Preining: Kein Geld für die Formel-3-EM / Formel 1 SPEEDWEEK.COM". www.speedweek.com.
  4. Allen, Peter (April 7, 2016). "Italian and German F4 series get 40+ cars, qualifying races".
  5. "Shock test hints at Porsche line-up change". The Race . 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  6. "Thomas Preining set for Porsche outing in Jeddah". The Official Home of Formula E. 6 February 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  7. Watkins, Gary (2021-12-17). "Le Mans winner Bernhard to enter Porsche team in DTM". Motorsport.com . Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  8. Newbold, James (2022-07-02). "DTM Norisring: Preining scores Porsche's first win in race of survival". Motorsport.com . Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  9. Thukral, Rachit (2022-09-25). "DTM Red Bull Ring: Preining wins thriller, van der Linde struggles". Motorsport.com . Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  10. Thukral, Rachit; Haidinger, Sven (2022-10-08). "Five DTM drivers to miss Hockenheim finale after Race 1 chaos". Motorsport.com . Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  11. Goodwin, Graham (24 February 2023). "Manthey EMA Confirm Olsen & Preining For 2023 DTM". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  12. "Rutronik Racing dévoile l'équipage Pro de sa Porsche" [Rutronik Racing unveils the Pro crew of its Porsche]. Endurance-Info. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Porsche Carrera Cup Germany
Champion

2018
Succeeded by
Julien Andlauer
Preceded by Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Champion

2023
Succeeded by