Are the current struggles of the Porsche team Manthey down to the new DTM spec tire? During his sharp criticism of the Balance of Performance (BoP) at the Norisring, "Grello" driver Thomas Preining also pointed to the new Pirelli tire, which has been used exclusively in the DTM since 2026.
"All the weaknesses we ever had in the Porsche are gone with the new tire. It can do longitudinal, you have much more grip - and everyone has that grip, not just us," said the Austrian Porsche factory driver. "In a straight line, we are worse than ever."
Consequently, he argues they are currently poorly positioned not just in wheel-to-wheel combat due to a lack of top speed, but also in the corners and in terms of general pace. But what does Preining mean when he says the new tire "can do longitudinal" - meaning lengthwise?
Has Porsche been robbed of its greatest strength?
Apparently, the new tire does not lose traction as quickly during the braking phase. While the DHG tire previously used in the DTM and other GT3 series was known for not being "multitasking-capable" - unable to handle lateral and longitudinal forces simultaneously - this seems to have changed with the tire specifically manufactured for the DTM.
The Porsche is generally considered a nimble car, strong on the brakes and in traction. However, this exact strength might have been neutralized by the new tire, as other cars are now also better on the brakes and can navigate corners more easily.
Manthey problems during tests: Did they want to prevent switch?
Interesting: According to information from Motorsport-Total.com, Manthey already faced major problems during the tire test in Vallelunga in early March, when Pirelli was testing different tire types to determine the final specification for the DTM season. There were even reports of damage to the rear tires, which forced Manthey to abandon the mandatory runs.
According to information from Motorsport-Total.com, Manthey officials campaigned for keeping the DHG tire after those experiences. The team, however, states they were not fundamentally opposed to a new tire but were critical of the specific version being tested at the time.
But was this already an indication that the new DTM tire does not harmonize with the Porsche?
Manthey set-up apparently perfected for the predecessor tire
It seems the problems in Vallelunga were also due to the fact that the set-up Manthey used for the Pirelli test tire was extremely tailored to the DHG tire. The Porsche 911 GT3 Evo offers many possibilities to optimize the set-up via kinematics. Manthey is said to have pushed this to the limit and perfected it for the DHG tire.
Did the introduction of the new tire cause Manthey to lose this advantage and have to start from scratch? And if so, how was it possible for Preining to win the premiere of the new tire at the DTM season opener in Spielberg?
Preining explains this by saying "that the others were still in hibernation, and we understood the tire faster. Otherwise, we only benefit from mistakes," said the 2023 DTM champion at the Norisring. At the mid-season point, he currently sits in eighth place as the best Porsche driver, 47 points off the lead.
Will Manthey make a leap forward thanks to the Joker test day?
Why is it so difficult to make progress during the season? This is due to testing restrictions, which give DTM teams almost no opportunity to tweak the set-up away from race weekends. This particularly affects teams like Manthey, who would have the capacity - and the technical expertise - to capitalize on it.
The Porsche top team utilized its only Joker test day on July 14 at the Nurburgring with Preining and teammate Ricardo Feller - providing the opportunity to test privately on a DTM track outside of the official test days organized by the ADAC.
Conditions were changeable: initially hot and dry, with a rain shower in the afternoon. Whether Manthey has taken a step forward will be revealed in the upcoming races. The track at Oschersleben, where the series will race this coming weekend, should suit the Porsche.
