Luca Franz Engstler (born 8 March 2000) is a German racing driver currently competing in the DTM. Like his father Franz Engstler he made his name in the touring car scene, winning the TCR Asia Series in 2018 and 2019 and taking the 2021 TCR title in Germany.
Engstler is a DTM race winner, having triumphed at Oschersleben in April 2024.
Early career & TCR Engstler began his career in 2009 in karting, where he remained until 2014. In 2015, he switched to the ADAC Formula 4 series, spending two years in the championship and scoring a total of two points. For 2017, he switched to the ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship; he took his first podiums at the third round of the championship at Oschersleben, where he finished third twice.
In June 2017, it was announced that Engstler would race in the TCR International Series, driving a Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR for his ADAC TCR Germany team Junior Team Engstler.
Since 2017, Engstler has competed in a range of TCR Series including ADAC Germany, Middle East, Asia, Europe, China, Malaysia and the World series. He was the 2019 Middle East champion, 2018 and 2019 TCR Asia champion and 2019 and 2020 TCR Malaysia champion.
The 2019 season saw Engstler compete in the TCR Europe Touring Car Series with the M1RA outfit. He finished the season in ninth place, having taken two podiums, including a controversial win at the Red Bull Ring where he collided with Luca Filippi on the final lap. The German also competed in the World Touring Car Cup as a wildcard entry at the Slovakia Ring, as well as replacing Augusto Farfus in Macau.
In 2020, Engstler entered the World Touring Car Cup on a full-time basis, driving a Hyundai i30 N TCR for the family team. With a best finish of eighth, the German ended up 16th in the championship. Engstler returned to the series in 2021, this time being joined at Engstler Motorsport by experienced race winner Jean-Karl Vernay. Despite only finishing 15th overall, Engstler managed to score his maiden WTCR podium at the Nordschleife, as well as winning the rookie championship by one point to Gilles Magnus. During the same year, Engstler also managed to clinch the ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship, winning the title with two races to spare.
GT3 career In 2022, Engstler switched to GT racing in the GT3 category, driving for Rutronik Racing in the ADAC GT Masters alongside Patric Niederhauser. The pair started out with a second place at Oschersleben and went on to become regular top-ten finishers, leaving them 14th in the standings by the end of the season.
Engstler progressed to the DTM in 2023, driving an Audi R8 LMS Evo II fielded by the family team. He struggled to score points consistently, ending up with a best race result of seventh and finishing 24th overall.
The same year saw Engstler compete at the 24 Hours of Spa, where he finished third overall with Scherer Sport PHX alongside Kelvin van der Linde and Nicki Thiim.24 Hours of Spa Final Results
For the 2024 season, Engstler remained in the DTM, this time switching to Lamborghini customer GRT. At the opening round in Oschersleben, he qualified fourth on Sunday, a position that turned to first thanks to a fortunately-timed full-course yellow phase. He held off Maro Engel in the closing stages and took his first DTM win, eleven years after his father Franz had scored his lone WTCC victory at the same track.
Racing record
Career summary SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition 2015 ADAC Formula 4 Championship Engstler Motorsport240000039th 2016 ADAC Formula 4 Championship Liqui Moly Team Engstler 240000226th 2017 ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship Junior Team Engstler14010217512th TCR International Series200000NC TCR Europe Trophy Liqui Moly Team Engstler20000128th TCR Middle East Series61103793rd 2018 ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship Liqui Moly Team Engstler600024142nd Hyundai Team Engstler83114 TCR Asia Series Liqui Moly Team Engstler1043471971st TCR Middle East Series532351191st 24H TCE Series - TCR 2019 World Touring Car Cup BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team30000228th Hyundai Team Engstler30000 TCR Asia Series Liqui Moly Team Engstler1064892211st 24 Hours of Nürburgring - VT2 Hyundai Team Engstler10101N/A3rd FIA Motorsport Games Touring Car Cup Team Germany20100020th TCR Europe Touring Car Series M1RA1410121929th 2020 World Touring Car Cup Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team Engstler1400005916th ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship Hyundai Team Engstler200000NC† TCR Malaysia Touring Car Championship642341211st 24 Hours of Nürburgring - TCR Hyundai Motorsport N10000N/A4th 2021 World Touring Car Cup Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team1600018615th ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship Hyundai Team Engstler12645103371st Nürburgring Endurance Series - VT2 ROJA Motorsport by ASL Lichtblau100000NC† 24 Hours of Nürburgring - TCR Hyundai Motorsport N10001N/A2nd 2022 ADAC GT Masters Rutronik Racing 14 0 1 0 1 104 14th Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 Scherer Sport Team Phoenix110010NC† Nürburgring Endurance Series - TCR Scherer Sport111110NC† 24H GT Series - GT3 Attempto Racing 24 Hours of Nürburgring - Cup2 IronForce Racing by Phoenix10000N/A5th 2023 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Liqui Moly Team Engstler 16 0 0 0 0 18 24th International GT Open 4 0 0 0 0 4 29th GT Winter Series?????30.7531st GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Scherer Sport PHX 1 0 0 0 1 24 12th Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9Audi Sport Team Car Collection100000NC† 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP910000N/A13th2024 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Lamborghini Team Liqui Moly by GRT 16 2 0 1 3 92 14th FIA GT World Cup 0 0 0 0 0 N/A DNS GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Liqui Moly Team Engstler by One Group 10 0 1 0 0 12.5 13th GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup - Gold Cup 10 2 4 2 9 107.5 1st Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9 Renazzo Motor with mcchip-dkr IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro Iron Lynx 1 0 0 0 0 202 44thFerrari Challenge Europe - Trofeo Pirelli (Pro)Gohm Motorsport - Engstler30001269th2025 GT Winter Series - GT3 Engstler Motorsport Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters TGI Lamborghini Team by GRT 16 0 0 0 0 81 12th Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9 Red Bull Team ABT24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 Abt Sportsline 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 5th GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup GRT - Grasser Racing Team51001445th GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup 10 2 2 2 6 81.5 2ndFIA GT World CupAbsolute Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF2026Deutsche Tourenwagen MastersRed Bull Team Abt 14 0 0 0 1 96 12th*24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 1 0 0 N/A DSQNürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9Team ABT SportslineGT World Challenge Europe Endurance CupRutronik RacingGT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup 10 0 0 0 2 22 14th †Guest driver 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 DC Points 2015 Engstler Motorsport OSC1 OSC2 OSC3 RBR1 RBR2 RBR3 SPA1 SPA2 SPA3 LAU1 LAU2 LAU3 NÜR1 NÜR2 NÜR3 SAC1 SAC2 SAC3 OSC1 OSC2 OSC3 HOC1 HOC2 HOC3 39th 0 2016 Engstler Motorsport OSC11 OSC12 OSC13 SAC1 SAC2 SAC3 LAU1 LAU2 LAU3 OSC21 OSC22 OSC23 RBR1 RBR2 RBR3 NÜR1 NÜR2 NÜR3 ZAN1 ZAN2 ZAN3 HOC1 HOC2 HOC3 26th 2
Complete TCR International Series 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 15 16 17 18 19 20 DC Points 2017 Junior Team Engstler Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR RIM1 RIM2 BHR1 BHR2 SPA1 SPA2 MNZ1 MNZ2 SAL1 SAL2 HUN1 HUN2 OSC1Ret OSC2DNS CHA1 CHA2 ZHE1 ZHE2 DUB1 DUB2 NC 0
Complete TCR ADAC Germany Touring Car Championship 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 2017 Junior Team Engstler Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR OSC1 OSC2 RBR1 RBR2 OSC1 OSC2 ZAN1 ZAN2 NÜR1 NÜR2 SAC1 SAC2 HOC1 HOC2 12th 175 2018 Liqui Moly Team Engstler Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR OSC1 OSC2 MST1 MST2 RBR1 RBR2 2nd 414 Hyundai Team Engstler Hyundai i30 N TCR NÜR1 NÜR2 ZAN1 ZAN2 SAC1 SAC2 HOC1 HOC2 2020 Hyundai Team Engstler Hyundai i30 N TCR LAU1 LAU2 NÜR1 NÜR2 HOC1 HOC2 SAC1 SAC2 RBR1 RBR2 ZAN1 ZAN2 OSC1 OSC2 NC‡ 0‡ 2021 Hyundai Team Engstler Hyundai i30 N TCR OSC1 OSC2 RBR1 RBR2 LAU1 LAU2 HOC1 HOC2 SAC1 SAC2 HOC1 HOC2 NÜR1 NÜR2 1st 337
Complete TCR Middle East Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 DC Points 2018 Liqui Moly Team Engstler Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR YMC1 YMC2 DUB1 DUB2 BHR1 BHR2 1st 119
Complete TCR Asia Series 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 DC Points 2018 Liqui Moly Team Engstler Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR SEP1 SEP2 BUR1 BUR2 BNS1 BNS2 YEO1 YEO2 SHA1 SHA1 1st 197 2019 Liqui Moly Team Engstler Hyundai i30 N TCR SEP1 SEP2 BUR1 BUR2 BUR1 BUR2 BUR1 BUR2 BNS1 BNS2 1st 221
Complete TCR Europe Touring Car Series 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 M1RA Hyundai i30 N TCR HUN1 HUN2 HOC1 HOC2 SPA1 SPA2 RBR1 RBR2 OSC1 OSC2 CAT1 CAT2 MNZ1 MNZ2 9th 192
Complete TCR China Touring Car Championship 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 DC Points 2019 Hyundai Team Engstler Hyundai i30 N TCR ZHU1 ZHU2 SHA1 SHA2 ZHE1 ZHE2 NIN1 NIN2 ZHZ1 ZHZ2 5th 73
Complete TCR Malaysia Touring Car Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 DC Points 2019 Liqui Moly Team Engstler Hyundai i30 N TCR SEP11 SEP12 SEP21 SEP22 SEP31 SEP32 1st 142.5 2020 Liqui Moly Team Engstler Hyundai i30 N TCR SEP11 SEP12 SEP21 SEP22 SEP31 SEP32 1st 121 * Season still in progress.
Complete World Touring Car Cup 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 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 DC Points 2019 Hyundai Team Engstler Hyundai i30 N TCR MAR1 MAR2 MAR3 HUN1 HUN2 HUN3 SVK1 SVK2 SVK3 NED1 NED2 NED3 GER1 GER2 GER3 POR1 POR2 POR3 CHN1 CHN2 CHN3 JPN1 JPN2 JPN3 NC‡ 0‡ BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team MAC1 MAC2 MAC3 MAL1 MAL2 MAL3 28th 2 2020 Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team Hyundai i30 N TCR BEL1 BEL2 GER1 GER2 SVK1 SVK2 SVK3 HUN1 HUN2 HUN3 ESP1 ESP2 ESP3 ARA1 ARA2 ARA3 16th 59 2021 Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team Hyundai Elantra N TCR GER1 GER2 POR1 POR2 ESP1 ESP2 HUN1 HUN2 CZE1 CZE2 FRA1 FRA2 ITA1 ITA2 RUS1 RUS2 15th 86 † Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance. ‡ As Engstler was a Wildcard entry, he was ineligible to score points.
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 2022 Rutronik Racing Audi R8 LMS Evo II OSC1 OSC2 RBR1 RBR2 ZAN1 ZAN2 NÜR1 NÜR2 LAU1 LAU2 SAC1 SAC2 HOC1 HOC2 14th 104
Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)