| Thomas Preining | |
|---|---|
 Preining in 2025 | |
| Nationality |  Austrian |
| Born | (1998-07-21)21 July 1998 (age 27) Linz, Austria |
| DTM career | |
| Debut season | 2022 |
| Current team | Manthey EMA |
| Racing licence |  FIA Silver(until 2018) FIA Gold(2019–2023) FIA Platinum(2024–) |
| Car number | 91 |
| Former teams | KÜS Team Bernhard |
| Starts | 63 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Poles | 4 |
| Fastest laps | 6 |
| Best finish | 1st in2023 |
| 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 anAustrian racing driver, currently competing inDeutsche Tourenwagen Masters, where he is the2023 champion. He also won the2018 German Porsche Carrera Cup championship.
Preining's first season in single seaters was in2015 with German teamADAC Berlin-Brandenburg where he competed at the first two rounds in theADAC Formula 4 Championship where he got a podium in only his third race at this level atOschersleben. Preining finished the season with 16 points.[1] Preining competed in another F4 championship in2015 where he raced at the first round in theItalian F4 Championship atVallelunga with German teamMücke Motorsport.[2] His best finish was 10th.
In2016, Preining returned to theADAC F4 grid for the full season but this time racing for Austrian teamLechner 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 theItalian F4 Championship in2016.[4] He only competed one round and his best result was 12th.
In 2017 Preining made the switch from single seater toSports car where he competed in the2017 Porsche Carrera Cup in Germany racing forKonrad Motorsport. Preining won two races meaning he finished 5 points behindChristian Engelhart in 7th. Preining made the switch to his former team Lechner Racing for2018 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 overMichael Ammermüller.
Due to Preining's affiliation withPorsche, theirFormula E team offered him a drive in the 2020 Rookie test atMarrakech. He partnered experienced French driverFrédéric Makowiecki. Preining's fastest time 1:19.374 which was almost 3 seconds slower thanNick Cassidy's fastest time of a 1:16.467.
In May 2024, Preining would again drive for Porsche in the Rookie Test atBerlin.[5] Just a year later on February, Preining returned to Formula E during the2025 Jeddah ePrix rookie practice session with Porsche.[6]
In December 2021, it was confirmed that Preining would race full-time in the2022 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters by driving the only Porsche 911 GT3 R car fielded byKÜS Team Bernhard.[7] In the first race of the fourth round at theNorisring, 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 theRed 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 theHockenheimring, 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 outfitManthey EMA.[11] In addition, Preining competed in the2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup withRutronik Racing, sharing a Pro class entry withLaurin Heinrich and DTM teammateDennis Olsen.[12]
† As Preining was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 21st | 16 |
| 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 | 4th | 180.5 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Walter Lechner Racing Team | CAT | CAT | MON | RBR | SIL | HUN 18† | SPA | SPA | MNZ 8† | MEX 6 | MEX 5 | 19th | 22 |
| 2018 | BWT Lechner Racing | CAT Ret | MON 14 | RBR 1 | SIL 8 | HOC 4 | HUN 1 | SPA 1 | MNZ 1 | MEX 3 | MEX 4 | 3rd | 135 |
† As Preining was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Gulf Racing UK | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SPA | LMS | SIL | FUJ 4 | SHA 9 | SEB 4 | SPA 7 | LMS 4 | 11th | 53 |
| 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 | 25th | 12.5 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Proton Competition | LMGTE | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | LEC 7 | MNZ WD | CAT | SIL 1 | SPA WD | ALG Ret | 10th | 35 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 13th | 79 |
| 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 | 13th | 74 |
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Gulf Racing | Ben BarkerMichael Wainwright | Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am | 331 | 38th | 8th |
| 2020 |  Dempsey-Proton Racing |  Dominique Bastien Adrien de Leener | Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am | 238 | NC | NC |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 5th | 116 |
| 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 | 1st | 246 |
| 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 | 5th | 158 |
| 2025 | Manthey EMA | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) | OSC 1 4 | OSC 2 3 | LAU 1 6 | LAU 2 Ret | ZAN 1 Ret | ZAN 2 3 | NOR 1 2 | NOR 2 1 | NÜR 1 9 | NÜR 2 10 | SAC 1 4 | SAC 2 10 | RBR 1 6 | RBR 2 21 | HOC 1 13 | HOC 2 6 | 4th | 182 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Andretti Motorsports | GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) | Porsche 4.2 LFlat-6 | DAY 9 | SEB | LBH | LGA | WGL | MOS | ELK | VIR | IMS | PET | 58th | 239 |
| 2025 | Proton Competition | GTD Pro | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) | Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 | DAY 10 | SEB | LGA | DET | WGL | MOS | ELK | VIR | IMS | PET | 37th | 227 |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Porsche Carrera Cup Germany Champion 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Champion 2023 | Succeeded by |