As Motorsport.com reports, the legal battle over Mirko Bortolotti's DTM victory at Oschersleben has taken another turn after the German governing body DMSB officially confirmed the rejection of Grasser Racing Team's appeal on Friday. The Lamborghini squad was fighting the disqualification of their race-winning car over a non-compliant wheel bearing, but the appeals court in Frankfurt sided against them.
That is far from the end of the road. Team principal Gottfried Grasser made it clear that they are heading straight to Paris. Because the team competes under an Austrian Motorsport Federation license rather than a DMSB license, they retain the right to escalate the matter further. Grasser stated that they were right on all of their points, noting that the DMSB believed it was right as well, which led to the 50:50 split going in favor of the governing body.
If the team files its appeal with the FIA within seven days, the fallout could be massive. The hearing will not happen until after the Hockenheim season finale scheduled for October 9-11, which could leave the championship without a confirmed champion when the chequered flag drops. Thomas Preining currently leads the standings ahead of Maro Engel and Marco Wittmann, but overturning Bortolotti's exclusion would directly alter those points.
The core of the dispute dates back to July 26, when a routine post-race inspection of the top four cars flagged the wheel bearing on Bortolotti's machine. Stewards ruled that the part did not match the DTM GT3 homologation or a reference part, triggering a disqualification under Article 5.1 of the DTM Sporting Regulations. The rules strictly prohibit any modification or processing of parts specified in the FIA or DTM GT3 homologation.
Grasser's legal representation, lawyer Thomas Fleischer, argued that the machining of the wheel bearings was permissible based on formal regulatory errors. The crux of the argument centers on whether the DTM's supplementary homologation—introduced in 2025 to close gray areas and cut costs—actually holds validity given it was never formally approved by the FIA. While the DTM rules state that their supplementary homologation takes precedence over the FIA version, the Lamborghini Temerario GT3's part featured detailed instructions in the DTM document while the FIA homologation only listed basic dimensions and metal material.
With the case now bound for an FIA court, the sport waits to see how the international body views regional supplementary homologations deviating from standard FIA papers. For now, a championship battle hangs in total uncertainty.
