“Oh my gosh, I’m a DTM champ! I can’t believe it,” Gotze said after the last-minute reversal. Sixth place was actually enough for 19-year-old Liam Lawson to become the youngest champion in DTM history.

Lawson’s unfair maneuvers utterly frustrate

But right after the start, the race took a dramatic turn for him. South African Kelvin van der Linde brought down the general leader in an unfair maneuver in the first corner. Despite the stop, Lawson reported steering problems to his team. With no chance for points, he made slow rounds at the end of the field.

Brand colleagues finally let Götz pass

Lindy also lags far behind with a puncture after a tough duel with Goetz. Then the Austrians Lucas Auer and Philip Ellis of Switzerland became a decisive factor in the championship battle. The Mercedes drivers were ahead and allowed teammate Gotze to pass shortly before the end and enabled the 35-year-old to win the DTM title he needed.

Wehrlin remains the youngest winner of the DTM competition

This means that Pascal Wehrlein is still the youngest DTM champion. Worndorfer earned the title in 2015 one day before his 21st birthday.