Thomas Preining: Almost Joined DTM Team After Porsche Offer

Porsche factory ⁢driver Thomas Preining has revealed he thought twice about leaving his employer because of the DTM and almost cried when signing his first Porsche contract.

preining‌ is now an established figure⁢ in the DTM; the Austrian driver won the 2023 title in the ‘Grello’ Porsche⁤ and has ‍impressed as ⁢his series debut in 2022 with aggressive, bold driving.

But⁤ few people know that the 27-year-old seriously considered walking away​ from his Porsche ⁣contract in ⁢the late 2010s to race in the class 1 era of the DTM.

Speaking on the Over the limit podcast with Laurens and Dries Vanthoor, Preining recalled how difficult it was to commit⁢ to⁢ Porsche back in ‌2017. At that time, Porsche was not participating in the DTM, and he feared he⁢ was giving up his shot at Germany’s ⁤premier touring car series.

“I always watched [the DTM].⁣ And for me, I⁤ was really struggling to⁣ sign my Porsche Junior contract, even though I‍ knew the chance to even continue racing on any level is problably⁣ 1% if‌ I don’t sign it,” he said.

“I knew this is me giving up the DTM for the‌ future as back​ then Porsche was not in DTM. So ⁢I was almost crying in Dr. Walliser’s office when I‍ signed. It all turned out well.”

Preining said that was not the only time he questioned his future with Porsche.

“After I finished the junior program and had the chance to become a⁢ factory driver, I‍ almost left Porsche again as of the DTM,” he explained. “I had⁤ a chance to switch to the DTM during the Class 1 era. But that project didn’t look like a decent medium-‌ or long-term solution.”

Porsche’s Preining Reflects on Passed-Over aston Martin DTM Possibility

Thomas Preining ultimately benefited from missing out on a 2019 drive with the nascent Aston Martin DTM program, as remaining with Porsche proved more fruitful for his career. the opportunity arose after the manufacturer sought drivers including ⁣Ferdinand Habsburg, Jake Dennis, and Jake Hughes,⁤ with Daniel Juncadella serving as the reference driver during evaluation.

In 2019, Aston Martin ‍assembled a driver⁤ lineup consisting of Juncadella, Habsburg, Dennis, and Paul di Resta, while HWA was ⁣contracted to manage the ⁤team’s DTM operations. Preining,then 20 years old,had a junior contract with Porsche that concluded at the end of 2018.

instead of joining ⁤Aston Martin, Preining competed as a “Young Professional” for Herberth Motorsport in the ADAC GT Masters series.He​ secured a victory on his debut weekend in the ADAC GT Masters in 2019, marking a successful start to his ‍season.

Looking back, Preining believes remaining within the Porsche family was the correct decision for his long-term development.