Haupt Racing Team can count upon the services of a familiar face in 2026. Niklas Kalus (20/DEU) will again be at the wheel of the Ford Mustang GT3. The 20-year-old lines up in the ADAC GT Masters for the team from Drees, and again forms part of the youth development programme, which HRT is following with the “Road to DTM” concept. The season opener takes place from 24th to 26th April at the Red Bull Ring, where it shares the bill with the DTM. Tickets start at € 49 and are available at dtm.com.

Last season, Kalus secured pole position at the Lausitzring and claimed two podium finishes. These results helped Haupt Racing Team win the Team Championship again. Kalus is the fifth driver to be confirmed by HRT for the 2026 ADAC GT Masters season. He follows Emil Gjerdrum (18/NOR), Alain Valente (29/CHE), Kiano Blum (18/AUT) and Max Cuccarese (19/ITA), who were announced previously.

“I am thrilled to start for HRT again in the coming season. The fact that the team is putting its faith in me for another year means a lot and gives me an extra boost of motivation,” says Kalus. “I am determined to continue to develop and am very excited about what promises to be an exciting, informative and hopefully successful year of racing.”

Ulrich Fritz, Managing Director of Haupt Racing Team: “We are pleased to be able to continue to accompany Niklas on his career path. He showed in his first season that he is very talented. I am very optimistic that we will see him continue to develop well and achieve good results again this year.”