Finn Wiebelhaus has done it. The reigning ADAC GT Masters champion and “Road to DTM” winner is stepping up to the DTM in 2026. The 19-year-old from Offenbach is sticking with his team and will drive a Ford Mustang GT3 Evo for HRT Ford Racing in the coming season.

Wiebelhaus and his team-mate Salman Owega won the championship in 2025, picking up three race wins, a further four podiums and two pole positions on the way. He also won the “Road to DTM” standings with 249 points, the reward for which was the starting fee for the 2026 DTM season. Wiebelhaus’s fine performances have also seen him promoted to Motorsport Team Germany, which is supported by the ADAC Stiftung Sport foundation and the DMSB.

Wiebelhaus is the first young driver to complete the “Road to DTM” and step up from the ADAC GT Masters to the DTM. This was hard to imagine when, many years ago, the youngster from Offenbach decided to do a few laps in a rented kart. Courses and his own first kart eventually led to success. In 2022, Wiebelhaus won the title in the ADAC Kart Masters X30 Juniors and was called up to the ADAC Formula Junior Team. After a season in the French Formula 4 championship, Wiebelhaus decided to switch to the ADAC GT Masters, where he believed he would have better prospects. Two years later, he is moving on up to the DTM with the title to his name.

The ADAC introduced its promotion concept for talented young drivers – from the German Kart Championship (DKM), via ADAC GT4 Germany and the ADAC GT Masters, to the DTM – in 2024. In the ADAC GT Masters, the driver pairings receive points for the race results they achieve together. Points are also awarded for the qualifying results, which are achieved individually. In order to promote fairness on the track, breaches of the rules are punished by docking points.

“I am overjoyed to be driving the Ford Mustang GT3 for HRT Ford Racing in the DTM. Ever since I was a kid, I have always dreamed of racing in the DTM. The fact that this dream is now set to come true means more to me than I can put into words. I am unbelievably grateful for the trust and the opportunity that HRT and Ford Racing have given me," says a beaming Wiebelhaus. "After winning the ADAC GT Masters and the Road to DTM competition, promotion to the DTM feels like a just reward - for the years of hard work and many sacrifices, and for my confidence. I am ready to do everything in my power to get good results and make this season an unforgettable one."