What's going wrong with the new Lamborghini Temerario GT3

Luca Engstler, Red Bull Team Abt Lamborghini Temerario GT3

Luca Engstler, Red Bull Team Abt Lamborghini Temerario GT3

Reliability the only clear positive so far

One area where the car has delivered is reliability. At both Sebring and the GT World Challenge Europe opener in Le Castellet, the Temerario completed the full race distances of 12 and six hours respectively.

“The most positive aspect is reliability,” said team boss Gottfried Grasser. “The car has no problems. At least that allows you to do a lot of running and a lot of testing.”

That was also evident during the official DTM test day in Spielberg, where the four Temerario drivers completed a combined 497 laps. However, the pace deficit remained significant: Abt rookie Luca Engstler was the fastest Lamborghini driver, but still 0.990 seconds off benchmark setter Ben Dorr in the McLaren.

“We’ve at least caught up to the backmarkers, but there is still a lot to do and to learn,” Grasser admitted. He did not deny the issues under braking and on corner entry, adding: “It’s all related to setup and suspension. We’re still searching for the right direction.”

Tyre struggles exposed in race conditions

These weaknesses were also evident at the Paul Ricard round of GTWCE, where Grasser’s team played no significant role in the race.

“It was more difficult than we expected,” Grasser said. “We found a solid balance in the set-up, but we still couldn’t get the tyres into the working window. That created a considerable gap that couldn’t be compensated for technically.”

Despite a deficit of more than one second in Spielberg, Grasser noted “very positive steps” in testing. This may also be linked to the new exclusive DTM tyre, which appears to reach operating temperature more quickly than the Pirelli DHG used in GT World Challenge Europe.

Performance pressure ahead of DTM opener

With the DTM featuring sprint races of around one hour, reliability alone will not be enough to deliver results.

“In DTM, it’s all about performance - and if you don’t have the performance, you won’t be successful,” Bortolotti said.

“That’s why I think we have a lot of work ahead of us, but I’m also happy to take on this challenge, together with the team and the brand, just like we did 12 years ago with the Huracan.

"It’s a process we now have to go through, and I hope we can get up to pace as quickly as possible.”

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