Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Returns to DTM
Aston Martin partner team Comtoyou Racing will enter works driver Nicki Thiim (DEN) in one of the Belgian squad’s two Vantage GT3 cars as it launches a new challenge for the 2026 DTM season. This announcement marks the first time a works Aston Martin driver has contested DTM, one of Europe’s most popular and prestigious GT-only series, in the British ultra-luxury performance brand’s Vantage GT3.
After a promising debut season, Comtoyou Racing returns to DTM with podium ambitions. The team also keeps Nicolas Baert (BEL) in the sister car. It recorded a pole position at Hockenheim and secured three top-ten finishes during 2025.
DTM stands apart from other GT3 FIA-homologated premium GT series. The championship runs mainly in Germany and also stages events at Austria’s Red Bull Ring and Zandvoort in the Netherlands. It focuses on hour-long double-header sprint races and assigns each car to a single driver rather than using shared-car line-ups that feature in much of GT racing.
The announcement fulfils Thiim's lifelong ambition. His father, Kurt, won 19 races during a nine-year DTM career and took the title in 1986. Thiim ranks among Aston Martin’s most successful and popular works drivers. He has won the FIA World Endurance GT title twice and has claimed class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Spa 24 Hours, also with Comtoyou Racing, and the ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hours. He achieved each of those wins at the wheel of the Vantage.
“It’s no secret that I have wanted to race in DTM all my life, because when I was a kid, it was the centre of my universe when my father raced in it,” said Thiim, who already has a DTM victory to his name at the Norisring in 2024. “I’ve already achieved that ambition, but when the DTM moved to an all-GT3 platform, I wanted to represent Aston Martin in the series. So, this is another dream come true for me.
“Carrying the famous wings on my chest in the DTM is very special and personal to me. DTM is one of the world's hardest and most fiercely contested championships, and its intensity is comparable to that of Formula 1. I’ve won with Vantage in so many different arenas, I can hardly wait to try and do it again with Aston Martin in the DTM.”
For Baert, a second season in DTM offers a clear chance to build on last year’s learning. He will draw on a full season of experience with the Vantage GT3 in sprint specification to deliver stronger results in 2026. “We made huge progress in 2025,” said the 24-year-old. “DTM is a tough arena to race in, but this year we go in with the advantage of knowing the car, the circuits, the tyres and the championship. This, combined with Nicki’s experience, which I’m sure I can learn from, gives us all the elements to make big steps forward in 2026.”
Vantage GT3 shares mechanical architecture with the ultra-luxury Vantage road car. Vantage GT3 won the 24 Hours of Spa in 2024 and more recently finished runner-up in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the GTD Class. Aston Martin builds the car around its proven bonded aluminium chassis and powers it with a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine.
Comtoyou Racing is a valued partner team of Aston Martin Racing. Since it began racing Aston Martin Vantages in 2024, the team has delivered major results. It secured the 24 Hours of Spa overall win, which delivered Aston Martin’s first overall victory in the GT3 era. Last year, it also won the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Drivers’ and Teams’ Silver Cup with Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy winners Jamie Day (GBR) and Kobe Pauwels (BEL).
DTM remains Germany’s most popular racing series and draws on a prestigious history that stretches back more than 40 years. The championship continues to attract elite driving talent through its emphasis on fast, technically advanced, and powerful racing cars. With more than half a million fans in attendance in 2025 and a 16-race, eight-round calendar, Comtoyou Racing will take on a deep field. It will race against cars from at least six other major manufacturers as it targets stronger results with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, said: “The DTM is a very prestigious and hugely competitive GT championship, and we are proud to see our valued partner Comtoyou Racing choose to race the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 within it. Equally, we are delighted to be able to contribute Nicki Thiim’s outstanding talent and undoubted experience to this programme. Aston Martin Racing wishes Comtoyou Racing, Nicki and Nicolas Baert every success in this venture.”
