Spa 24 winner Nicki Thiim joins Aston Martin team for 2026 DTM campaign

Factory Aston Martin driver Nicki Thiim will join Comtoyou Racing for his third full season in the DTM in 2026.

The Dane will race one of the two Aston Martin Vantage GT3s fielded by Cometoyou in the ADAC-run championship, with Nicolas Baert remaining in the sister car after his debut campaign in 2025.

The announcement means Thiim will represent his long-time employer Aston Martin for the first time in the DTM, having previously raced the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 in the series with special dispensation from the British luxury car manufacturer.

The 36-year-old has always had a soft spot for the DTM, with his father Kurt Thiim having taken a Rover Vitesse to the title in 1986 during a previous era of the season.

“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 scored his maiden DTM win at Norisring in 2024. 

“I’ve already achieved that ambition, but when the DTM moved to an-all GT3 platform, I’ve 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 hardest and most fiercely-contested championships in the world, and its intensity is similar to Formula 1 in this regard. 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.”

Nicki Thiim, Comtoyou Aston Martin Vantage GT3

Photo by: Aston Martin Racing

Comtoyou Racing joined the DTM last year with rookies Baert and Gilles Magnus, putting Aston Martin on the grid for the first time since R-Motorsport's Class 1 effort in 2019.

The Belgian squad scored a pole position at Hockenheim and three top 10 finishes over the course of the year, but ended the season last among the 12 teams.

Thiim has worked with Comtoyou before, having been a part of its race-winning line-up at the Spa 24 Hours in 2024.

In 2026, the team’s DTM programme will be led by Mario Schuhbauer, who previously headed the title-winning SSR Performance team in the DTM.

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.”