# Thomas Preining

Thomas Preining (born 21 July 1998) is an Austrian racing driver, currently competing in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, where he is the 2023 champion. He also won the 2018 German Porsche Carrera Cup championship.

## Career
### Formula 4

Preining's first season in single seaters was in 2015 with German team ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg where he competed at the first two rounds in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship where he got a podium in only his third race at this level at Oschersleben. Preining finished the season with 16 points. Preining competed in another F4 championship in 2015 where he raced at the first round in the Italian F4 Championship at Vallelunga with German team Mücke Motorsport. His best finish was 10th.
In 2016 he returned to the ADAC F4 grid for the full season but this time racing for Austrian team Lechner Racing. Preining would go on to finished the season with two wins and a further 4 podiums, this helped him to 4th in the championship with 180.5 points. Championship winner, Joey Mawson, finished 193.5 points ahead of Preining. Like with the German championship, Preining returned to race in the Italian F4 Championship in 2016. He only competed one round and his best result was 12th.

### Porsche Carrera Cup Germany

In 2017 Preining made the switch from single seater to Sports car where he competed in the 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup in Germany racing for Konrad Motorsport. Preining won two races meaning he finished 5 points behind Christian Engelhart in 7th. Preining made the switch to his former team Lechner Racing for 2018 where he dominated the season, winning 10 of 14 races and only failing to finish on the podium twice. He won the championship by 37 points over Michael Ammermüller.

### Formula E

Due to Preining's affiliation with Porsche, their Formula E team offered him a drive in the Rookie test at Marrakech. He partnered experienced French driver Frédéric Makowiecki. Preining's fastest time 1:19.374 which was almost 3 seconds slower than Nick Cassidy's fastest time of a 1:16.467.
In May 2024, Preining would again drive for Porsche in the Rookie Test at Berlin. Just a year later on February, Preining returned to Formula E during the 2025 Jeddah ePrix rookie practice session with Porsche.

### Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

In December 2021, it was confirmed that Preining would race full-time in the 2022 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters by driving the only Porsche 911 GT3 R car fielded by KÜS Team Bernhard. In the first race of the fourth round at the Norisring, Preining scored his first win in the DTM, which was also the first win for a Porsche car in the series. His second win in the DTM came in the second race of the seventh round at the Red Bull Ring, which saw him starting from seventh position and making several overtakes on a wet track, before being able to maintain the lead as the track began to dry. Ahead of the eighth and final round at the Hockenheimring, Preining was one of the five drivers who had a chance of winning the championship title. However, he was in one of the cars that were involved in a major crash during the Saturday race. Although he was able to extract himself from his badly damaged car, the doctors eventually declared him unfit to participate in the Sunday race. This left him in 5th place in the drivers' standings, with a total of 116 points.
In 2023, Preining returned to the series for a second consecutive season, moving to fellow Porsche outfit Manthey EMA. In addition, Preining competed in the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with Rutronik Racing, sharing a Pro class entry with Laurin Heinrich and DTM teammate Dennis Olsen.

## Racing record
### Career summary

| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
| 2015 | ADAC Formula 4 Championship | ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 21st |
| 2015 | Italian F4 Championship | Mücke Motorsport | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29th |
| 2016 | ADAC Formula 4 Championship | Lechner Racing | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 180.5 | 5th |
| 2016 | Italian F4 Championship | Lechner Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37th |
| 2017 | Porsche GT3 Cup Brasil - Endurance | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 23rd |
| 2017 | Porsche Supercup | Konrad Motorsport | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 19th |
| 2017 | Porsche Carrera Cup Germany | Konrad Motorsport | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 130 | 7th |
| 2018 | Porsche Supercup | Lechner Racing | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 135 | 3rd |
| 2018 | Porsche Carrera Cup Germany | Lechner Racing | 14 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 279 | 1st |
| 2018 | 24H GT Series - 911 | Fach Auto Tech | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ? | ? |
| 2018-19 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing UK | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 53 | 11th |
| 2019 | International GT Open | Frikadelli Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 2019 | European Le Mans Series - LMGTE | Proton Competition | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 32 | 10th |
| 2019 | ADAC GT Masters | Precote Herberth Motorsport | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 79 | 13th |
| 2019 | 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 | Frikadelli Racing Team | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF |
| 2019–20 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | Dempsey-Proton Racing | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 | 15th |
| 2019–20 | Formula E | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | Test/Development driver | Test/Development driver | Test/Development driver | Test/Development driver | Test/Development driver | Test/Development driver | Test/Development driver |
| 2020 | Intercontinental GT Challenge | Absolute Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 17th |
| 2020 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | GPX Racing | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 30th |
| 2021 | ADAC GT Masters | KÜS Team Bernhard | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 74 | 13th |
| 2021 | 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 | Falken Motorsports | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 9th |
| 2022 | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | KÜS Team Bernhard | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 116 | 5th |
| 2022 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | Dinamic Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 28th |
| 2022 | Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 | Dinamic Motorsport | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 2022 | 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 | Dinamic Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF |
| 2023 | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | Manthey EMA | 16 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 246 | 1st |
| 2023 | Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 | Manthey EMA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 2023 | 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 | Manthey EMA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF |
| 2023 | Intercontinental GT Challenge | Manthey EMA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 15th |
| 2023 | Intercontinental GT Challenge | Rutronik Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 15th |
| 2023 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | Rutronik Racing | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 7th |
| 2023 | FIA GT World Cup | HubAuto Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 15th |
| 2024 | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | Manthey EMA | 16 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 158 | 5th |
| 2024 | Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9 | Manthey EMA | | | | | | | |
| 2024 | Intercontinental GT Challenge | Manthey EMA | | | | | | | |
| 2024 | 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 | Manthey EMA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 2nd |
| 2024 | IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD | Andretti Motorsports | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 239 | 58th |
| 2024 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | Phantom Global Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 27th |
| 2024 | FIA GT World Cup | Origine Motorsport | | | | | | | |
| 2025 | Middle East Trophy - GT3 | Pure Rxcing | | | | | | | |
| 2025 | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | Manthey EMA | | | | | | | |
† As Preining was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points. $^*$ Season still in progress.

### Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Pos | Points |
| 2015 | ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg | OSC1 1 10 | OSC1 2 29 | OSC1 3 3 | RBR 1 14 | RBR 2 30 | RBR 3 26 | SPA 1 | SPA 2 | SPA 3 | LAU 1 | LAU 2 | LAU 3 | NÜR 1 | NÜR 2 | NÜR 3 | SAC 1 | SAC 2 | SAC 3 | OSC2 1 | OSC2 2 | OSC2 3 | HOC 1 | HOC 2 | HOC 3 | 21st | 16 |
| 2016 | Lechner Racing | OSC1 1 6 | OSC1 2 14 | OSC1 3 3 | SAC 1 28 | SAC 2 18 | SAC 3 13 | LAU 1 3 | LAU 2 7 | LAU 3 8 | OSC2 1 2 | OSC2 2 DSQ | OSC2 3 5 | RBR 1 1 | RBR 2 Ret | RBR 3 16 | NÜR 1 8 | NÜR 2 7 | NÜR 3 1 | ZAN 1 14 | ZAN 2 7 | ZAN 3 10 | HOC 1 5 | HOC 2 2 | HOC 3 5 | 4th | 180.5 |

### Complete Porsche Supercup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos. | Points |
| 2017 | Walter Lechner Racing Team | CAT | CAT | MON | RBR | SIL | HUN 18† | SPA | SPA | MNZ 8† | MEX 6 | MEX 5 | 19th | 22 |
| 2018 | BWT Lechner Racing | CAT Ret | MON 14 | RBR 1 | SIL 8 | HOC 4 | HUN 1 | SPA 1 | MNZ 1 | MEX 3 | MEX 4 | | 3rd | 135 |
$^†$ As Preining was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

### Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
| 2018–19 | Gulf Racing UK | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SPA | LMS | SIL | FUJ 4 | SHA 9 | SEB 4 | SPA 7 | LMS 4 | 11th | 53 |
| 2019–20 | Dempsey-Proton Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SIL 11 | FUJ 9 | SHA 6 | BHR Ret | COA 9 | SPA | LMS NC | BHR | 25th | 12.5 |

### Complete European Le Mans Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
| 2019 | Proton Competition | LMGTE | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | LEC 7 | MNZ WD | CAT | SIL 1 | SPA WD | ALG Ret | 10th | 35 |

### Complete ADAC GT Masters results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | DC | Points |
| 2019 | Precote Herberth Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT3 R | OSC 1 6 | OSC 2 1 | MST 1 21 | MST 2 Ret | RBR 1 7 | RBR 2 Ret | ZAN 1 Ret | ZAN 2 17 | NÜR 1 9 | NÜR 2 11 | HOC 1 24 | HOC 2 6 | SAC 1 13 | SAC 2 8 | 13th | 79 |
| 2021 | KÜS Team Bernhard | Porsche 911 GT3 R | OSC 1 26 | OSC 2 8 | RBR 1 11 | RBR 2 17 | ZAN 1 Ret | ZAN 2 Ret | LAU 1 Ret | LAU 2 15 | SAC 1 5 | SAC 2 3 | HOC 1 12 | HOC 2 4 | NÜR 1 3 | NÜR 2 Ret | 13th | 74 |

### Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
| 2019 | Gulf Racing | Ben Barker Michael Wainwright | Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am | 331 | 38th | 8th |
| 2020 | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Dominique Bastien Adrien de Leener | Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am | 238 | NC | NC |

### Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Rank | Points |
| 2022 | KÜS Team Bernhard | Porsche 911 GT3 R | ALG 1 13 | ALG 2 Ret | LAU 1 Ret | LAU 2 Ret | IMO 1 4$^3$ | IMO 2 Ret | NOR 1 1$^2$ | NOR 2 9 | NÜR 1 Ret | NÜR 2 7 | SPA 1 3$^2$ | SPA 2 3 | RBR 1 5 | RBR 2 1 | HOC 1 Ret | HOC 2 DNS | 5th | 116 |
| 2023 | Manthey EMA | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) | OSC 1 11 | OSC 2 3$^1$ | ZAN 1 7 | ZAN 2 2$^2$ | NOR 1 12$^2$ | NOR 2 1$^2$ | NÜR 1 3$^2$ | NÜR 2 5 | LAU 1 15 | LAU 2 4 | SAC 1 2 | SAC 2 4 | RBR 1 6 | RBR 2 3 | HOC 1 1$^1$ | HOC 2 1$^1$ | 1st | 246 |
| 2024 | Manthey Racing | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) | OSC 1 10 | OSC 2 13 | LAU 1 3$^2$ | LAU 2 1$^1$ | ZAN 1 14 | ZAN 2 10 | NOR 1 14 | NOR 2 6 | NÜR 1 7 | NÜR 2 7 | SAC 1 6$^1$ | SAC 2 4 | RBR 1 12 | RBR 2 2 | HOC 1 14 | HOC 2 4 | 5th | 158 |

### Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
| 2024 | Andretti Motorsports | GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) | Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 | DAY 9 | SEB | LBH | LGA | WGL | MOS | ELK | VIR | IMS | PET | 58th | 239 |