The opening day of the 2025 NXT Gen Cup at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben delivered two dramatic races and two first-time winners.
Austrian Philipp Dietrich produced an emotional triumph in Race 1, while Germany’s Maxim Dacher executed a solid drive to victory in Race 2.
Friday’s free practice sessions were heavily interrupted by red-flag stoppages, but Saturday morning’s qualifying provided clear pace setters. Despite a late red flag cutting the session short, pre-season favorite Lukas Stiefelhagen secured pole position by under a tenth of a second, narrowly edging out Philipp Dietrich to complete the front row for Race 1.
Race 1 – Dietrich holds off Stalidzane for first win
At the start, Vivann Ehrl stalled on the grid from P16, triggering a collision when Linda Frey directly behind her had no time to react. The safety car was deployed to clear the incident, with Lukas Stiefelhagen leading Philipp Dietrich, Alex Gustafsson and Patricija Stalidzane in tow.
Racing resumed at the start of lap 4. On lap 5, Dietrich made his decisive move into turn 3—diving inside Stiefelhagen—to seize the lead. Stalidzane, who had already passed Gustafsson one lap earlier, followed through to claim second.
When the checkered flag fell on lap 7, Dietrich had managed to open a small gap to Stalidzane, while Stiefelhagen secured the final podium position. Gustafsson and Lennart Wolf completed the top five.
Philipp Dietrich, P1, said:
I’m really happy. I was screaming in the car after the race, crying like a baby almost. A big thank you to all the support at home—now I look forward to the next race.
Patricija Stalidzane, P2, declared:
The first race was satisfying. Of course, I always feel I can do better if I’m not winning, but overall, it was all good. I learned a lot and now I’m focused on putting everything together for qualifying tomorrow. All in all, the pace is strong, and I’m concentrating on my driving and collecting as many points as possible.
Lukas Stiefelhagen, P3, said after the race 1:
It was difficult after the safety car; I don’t think my tires were fully up to temperature. I went a bit wide, and Philipp managed to get past, but I’m still happy with P3.
Race 2 – A display of racecraft and strategy
For Race 2, the top eight finishers from Race 1 formed a reversed grid, putting Sweden’s Siri Hökfelt on pole alongside Czech driver Filip Bartoš.
The field launched cleanly and set about eight action-packed laps of hard racing. Hökfelt led into Turn 1, but Lennart Wolf—up from P4—closed in and capitalized on Hökfelt going wide at Turn 7 to take the lead.
Meanwhile, Race 1 podium trio Stiefelhagen, Stalidzane and Dietrich advanced to fourth, fifth and sixth respectively by the beginning of lap 2.
On lap 2, Alex Gustafsson surged past Wolf for the lead, only to be shadowed by Maxim Dacher. On lap 3, Dacher activated his push-to-pass to execute a decisive double-overtake on both Wolf and Gustafsson.
Lap 6 saw another spectacular double-pass as Stiefelhagen used his push-to-pass to sweep past Stalidzane and Gustafsson. By the penultimate lap, Dacher and Stiefelhagen had opened a small gap to the chasing pack of Stalidzane, Gustafsson and Race 1 winner Dietrich.
On the final lap, Dietrich made a move at Turn 1 to pass Gustafsson, then even used the grass on the back straight to edge Stalidzane for third.
After eight laps of intense combat, Maxim Dacher claimed his first victory, with Stiefelhagen second and Dietrich holding on to third. Stalidzane and Gustafsson completed the top five.
Maxim Dacher, P1, said after the race 2:
It feels amazing — second race and a win, it couldn’t be better! It was an exciting race; I started from P3 and used my push-to-pass at the right moment, so I’m really happy with the result.
Lukas Stiefelhagen, P2, declared:
It was a really exciting race. I think I could have overtaken Maxim if I had had one more lap, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Still, P2 ahead of my rivals is a great result. I hope I can put it on pole again tomorrow, although the others are also really quick—but of course, I’ll give it my best!
Philipp Dietrich, P3, said:
My goal today was to secure another podium. I made the move on the last lap—even went onto the grass! I hope it looked spectacular, because that’s what I’m here for! I’m happy with third place, now focusing on qualifying tomorrow and aiming for another win.
Racing resumes on Sunday morning at 08:45 CEST with a second qualifying session, followed by Races 3 and 4.
Source: NXT Gen Cup
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