Why Lamborghini Temerario GT3’s DTM debut was nothing short of a disaster

Lamborghini’s new Temerario GT3 endured a nightmare start to life in last weekend’s DTM season-opener at the Red Bull Ring.

Its results in the Austrian double header raised serious concerns about the car’s competitiveness and the structure behind the programme. The scale of the problem is such that responsibility within the organisation appears unclear, a factor widely seen as contributing to the current situation at the Italian marque, which is part of the Audi Group.

The Temerario GT3 is a car that is, by all accounts, so problematic that it has already earned itself the “Lamaghini Dromedario” moniker in the paddock.

Just a year ago, Lamborghini was fighting for the DTM title with the Huracan GT3 until the finale. Now, Grasser Racing Team and Abt Sportsline found themselves effectively running their own race at the back of the field on the new car’s debut.

Even top driver Mirko Bortolotti, who finished 16th on Sunday as the best Lamborghini, was 36.082 seconds adrift after 37 laps – roughly one second per lap despite the Balance of Performance (BoP), which is supposed to equalise the cars. Even Nicolas Baert in an Aston Martin – hardly considered a top-tier GT3 driver – was around 0.6 seconds per lap faster.

Bortolotti said «the gap is gigantic» and it could have been a lot worse. Spielberg, with its long straights, is actually a circuit that masks some of the Temerario’s most glaring weaknesses. High track temperatures of nearly 40C and the new DTM tyre, which comes up to temperature more quickly, also helped.

Had the season started, as in previous years, at the twisty Oschersleben circuit with its 14 corners, the debut would likely have been even more embarrassing. The car has major issues under braking and resists turning in, largely because it generates too little mechanical grip through the suspension.

Systems such as ABS and traction control are not yet properly refined, and the car was delivered to teams late in its development cycle without a functional base set-up.

Why Lamborghini should consider withdrawing the car

The worrying part is that this could turn into a never-ending problem. Fixing the issues during the season is almost impossible due to strict testing restrictions in the series. On top of that, FIA homologation freezes development.

Lamborghini would be well advised to withdraw the Temerario retrospectively and run the Huracan again in 2026, while fixing the new car in the background. That would be a short-term loss of face, but it would at least remove the problem early instead of turning it into a long-term embarrassment.

Those familiar with the programme say clearly that only an Evo version could realistically save the project. However, such an update is not possible in the short term, as FIA rules generally only allow it after two years – meaning 2028 – unless it concerns safety.

A solution via BoP is also unrealistic. The car is already close to the minimum weight limit, and ride height has been reduced almost as much as possible. More turbo boost would be technically possible, but the resulting increase in top speed would force drivers to brake even earlier, offering little real gain. The BoP adjustment from Saturday to Sunday in Spielberg underlined this – more of a signal than a real fix.

Why nothing has changed since November

There is also a sense that those responsible at Lamborghini do not fully know how to address the situation. “They don’t have the people or the expertise for it,” said one insider.

That may explain why, despite clear warning signs half a year ago, little has changed. “The car is nowhere near where I would like it to be, but we already knew that in November,” Bortolotti said on Saturday. Factory drivers first tested the Temerario GT3 in October 2025 at Circuit Paul Ricard and reportedly raised concerns immediately.

The same problems were evident again during DTM testing in Vallelunga in March, yet no decisive action was taken.

Risk of wider consequences

How did it come to this? Lamborghini’s relatively small motorsport department in Sant’Agata Bolognese has been hit by numerous personnel changes during the Temerario’s development, following the departure of former motorsport boss Giorgio Sanna two years ago after an internal investigation.

Chief technical officer Rouven Mohr has since moved into a broader role at Audi, leaving a leadership gap. New motorsport head Andrea Reggiani only took up his position at the beginning of April and is still trying to assess the scale of the problem.

More is at stake than Lamborghini’s image – and the fact that the brand now wants to sell its troubled GT3 car to gentlemen drivers and customer teams. The future of DTM outfits like Grasser and Abt is also on the line, as they depend on sponsors who expect results.

And ultimately, the DTM itself could be affected. Alongside Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini is the only manufacturer fielding two teams and four cars. Losing them would reduce the grid to just 17 cars – a worrying scenario for a top-level GT3 championship.

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— The Motorsport.com Team