Matteo Cairoli (born 1 June 1996) is an Italian racing driver who competes in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for Emil Frey Racing.
A homegrown Porsche talent since 2014, Cairoli developed into one of the leading LMGTE Am drivers, and was FIA World Endurance Championship runner-up for Dempsey-Proton in 2017. He later won the 2021 24 Hours of Nürburgring for Manthey and took pole at the 2023 24 Hours of Spa. In 2024, Cairoli moved to Lamborghini to graduate to LMDh in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, and won once for Iron Lynx in ELMS as an LMP2 rookie.
Cairoli finished runner-up in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup for Mercedes-AMG in 2025, before taking three DTM victories on his Ferrari debut in 2026.
Career Junior formula Cairoli began his single-seater racing career in 2012, competing in the Italian Formula Renault Championship. He would finish the season 13th in points after competing in the final four races, scoring one podium. After a 2013 season in which he competed in the German Formula Three Championship, Cairoli joined GSK Grand Prix for the 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series season. However, he would only compete in the first round at Imola before leaving the team.
Sports cars After competing in junior formula competition, Cairoli moved to sports cars in 2014, taking part in the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia with Antonelli Motorsport. It was a successful first season, as Cairoli took the series title by 70 points, winning six of the fourteen races. As a result, he was invited to compete for the Porsche International Cup Scholarship, which he won, receiving €200,000 and Porsche Junior driver status for 2015. As part of the 2015 Porsche Junior driver class, Cairoli was awarded a seat in the Porsche Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup Germany for that season, signing with Project 1 Motorsport in both series. At the end of 2016, following a second-placed points finish in the 2016 Porsche Supercup, Cairoli was further promoted in the Porsche system to "Young Professional" status.
In 2017, Cairoli stepped up to compete for Dempsey-Proton Racing in the LMGTE Am class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The opportunity provided him with his first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the team finished sixth in class. In his first season with the team, the team finished second in the LMGTE Am class, winning twice at the Nürburgring and in Mexico City. Cairoli also competed with Dempsey-Proton in the European Le Mans Series for 2017, scoring a class victory at Portimão as the team finished third in points. Ahead of the 2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship, Cairoli returned to Team Project 1.
In February 2020, Cairoli signed with Dinamic Motorsport to compete in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. The following season, Cairoli featured as part of the Manthey Racing team that claimed overall victory at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, driving alongside Kévin Estre and Michael Christensen. At the end of 2023, Cairoli departed the Porsche factory roster.
Ahead of 2024, Cairoli joined the Lamborghini factory roster, taking part in the team's IMSA SportsCar Championship effort for the season in both the GTD Lamborghini Huracán and the GTP Lamborghini SC63 teams; he also drove at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He left Lamborghini in January 2025 and joined the Iron Lynx team for the 2025 World Endurance Championship.
Racing record Career summary
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position 2012 Challenge Tricolore Formula Renault 2.0 Italia GSK Grand Prix 4 0 0 0 1 23 13th 2013 ATS Formel 3 Cup ADM Motorsport 26 0 0 0 2 112 7th 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup Italia Antonelli Motorsport 14 6 4 6 13 200 1st Italian F4 Championship 5 0 0 0 2 33 13th Porsche Supercup 2 0 0 1 0 0 NC V de V Challenge Monoplace GSK Grand Prix 6 3 1 5 3 243.5 13th Formula Renault 2.0 Alps 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC 2015 Porsche Supercup Market Leader by Project 1 10 0 1 0 2 83 7th Porsche Carrera Cup Germany Deutsche Post by Project 1 17 0 0 1 0 104 11th Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP7 Manthey Racing 2 1 0 1 2 ? ? 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP710000N/ADNF 24H Series - A6 Am Fach Auto Tech 1 0 0 0 0 ? ? 2016 Porsche Supercup Fach Auto Tech 10 4 4 2 6 151 2nd European Le Mans Series - LMGTE Proton Competition 2 0 1 1 1 29 11th ADAC GT Masters KÜS Team75 Bernhard 2 0 0 0 0 12 39th Porsche Carrera Cup Italia Ebimotors 3 3 3 3 3 43 15th Porsche Carrera Cup France 4 2 3 2 3 0 NC Porsche Carrera Cup Germany 4 0 2 0 1 0 NC 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Dempsey-Proton Racing 9 2 1 1 6 168 2nd European Le Mans Series - LMGTE 6 1 1 2 2 80 3rd IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Manthey Racing 1 0 0 0 0 5 85th 24H Series - A6 1 0 0 0 1 28 ? Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP910000N/ADNF 2018 European Le Mans Series - LMGTE Proton Competition 5 1 2 2 5 85.5 3rd FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am 8 0 3 2 1 26 16th IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Manthey Racing 1 0 0 0 0 11 71st Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 KÜS Team75 Bernhard 1 0 0 0 0 2.75 ? 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP910000N/A19th 2019 European Le Mans Series - LMGTE Dempsey-Proton Racing 6 1 4 2 3 76 2nd FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Team Project 1 7 0 2 0 1 80 10th ADAC GT Masters KÜS Team75 Bernhard 14 0 0 0 0 20 26th IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Manthey Racing 1 0 0 0 0 17 62nd 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP910000N/A4th 2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Dinamic Motorsport 4 1 0 0 2 53 3rd Intercontinental GT Challenge Absolute Racing 1 0 0 0 0 8 17th Nürburgring Endurance Series Falken Motorsports 2 0 0 0 0 2.89 87th 2021 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Dinamic Motorsport 5 1 0 0 2 53 6th Intercontinental GT Challenge100000NC 24H GT Series - GT3100000NC† FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Team Project 1 5 0 1 0 3 78 4th 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 Manthey Racing11001N/A1st 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Team Project 161022717th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am10000N/ADNF IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro WeatherTech Racing1000025332nd GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Dinamic Motorsport41002486th 24H GT Series - GT3100000NC† 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP910000N/ADNF 2023 Asian Le Mans Series - GT Herberth Motorsport40000246th FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Project 1 – AO600003613th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am10000N/A7th European Le Mans Series - LMGTE Iron Lynx61003803rd International GT Open Huber Motorsport100101617th GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup101100NC GT World Challenge Asia - GT3 Absolute Racing401012822nd FIA GT World Cup10000N/A11th GT World Challenge America - Pro MDK Motorsports100000NC† Intercontinental GT Challenge MDK Motorsports100001620th Herberth Motorsport10000 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 Rutronik Racing10000N/A5th2023-24 Asian Le Mans Series - GT Herberth Motorsport20000624th2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTP Lamborghini–Iron Lynx 4 0 0 1 0 986 16th European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Iron Lynx - Proton61111368th IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro Iron Lynx1000021343rd GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 4 0 1 0 1 27 10th FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGT3 1 0 0 0 0 18 21st FIA GT World Cup SJM VSR Theodore Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF2025 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGT3 Iron Lynx30000026th European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Iron Lynx - Proton60110359th GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Fiter51102722nd Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9 Dinamic GT 24 Hours of Nürbugring - SP910001N/A3rd International GT Open Team Motopark410012313thItalian GT Championship Sprint Cup - GT3 Antonelli Motorsport 2 0 1 1 0 0 NC†2025-2624H Series Middle East - GT3Winward Racing2026IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTDDragonSpeed1000017476thDeutsche Tourenwagen MastersEmil Frey Racing 14 3 2 1 3 150 5th*GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup 10 0 1 1 1 17.5 17th * Season still in progress. † Guest driver, ineligible for points.
Complete German Formula Three Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 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 DC Points 2013 ADM Motorsport OSC11 OSC12 OSC12 SPA1 SPA2 SPA3 NÜR11 NÜR12 NÜR13 SAC1 SAC2 SAC3 LAU11 LAU12 LAU13 NÜR21 NÜR22 NÜR23 LAU21 LAU22 LAU23 OSC21 OSC22 OSC23 HOC1 HOC2 HOC3 7th 112
Complete Italian F4 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 DC Points 2014 Antonelli Motorsport ADR1 ADR2 ADR3 IMO11 IMO12 IMO13 MUG1 MUG2 MUG3 MAG1 MAG2 MAG3 VLL1 VLL2 VLL3 MNZ1 MNZ2 MNZ3 IMO21 IMO22 IMO23 13th 33
Complete Porsche Carrera Cup Italia 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 Points 2014 Antonelli Motorsport MIS1 MIS2 MNZ11 MNZ12 MUG1 MUG2 LEC1 LEC2 VLL1 VLL2 IMO1 IMO2 MNZ21 MNZ22 1st 200
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 Points 2014 Antonelli Motorsport CAT MON RBR SIL GER HUN SPA MNZ USA USA NC† 0 2015 Market Leader by Project 1 CAT MON RBR SIL HUN SPA SPA MNZ MNZ USA USA 7th 83 2016 Fach Auto Tech CAT MON RBR SIL HUN HOC SPA MNZ USA USA 2nd 151
Complete 24 Hours of Nürburgring results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 2015 Manthey Racing Christoph Breuer Sven Müller Mike StursbergPorsche 911 GT3 Cup MR SP7 44 DNF DNF 2017 Manthey Racing Mathieu Jaminet Otto Klohs Robert Renauer Porsche 911 GT3 R SP9 26 DNF DNF 2018 KÜS Team75 Bernhard Jörg Bergmeister Michael Christensen André Lotterer Porsche 911 GT3 R SP9 128 21st 19th 2019 Manthey Racing Lars Kern Otto Klohs Dennis OlsenPorsche 911 GT3 R SP9 155 4th 4th 2021 Manthey Racing Michael Christensen Kévin Estre Porsche 911 GT3 R SP9 59 1st 1st 2022 Dinamic Motorsport Christian Engelhart Côme Ledogar Thomas Preining Porsche 911 GT3 R SP9Pro 11 DNF DNF 2023 Rutronik Racing Julien Andlauer Dennis Olsen Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) SP9Pro 162 5th 5th 2025 Dinamic GT Bastian Buus Loek Hartog Joel Sturm Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) SP9Pro 140 3rd 3rd
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 2016 Proton Competition LMGTE Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 SIL IMO RBR LEC SPA EST 11th 29 2017 Proton Competition LMGTE Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 SIL MNZ RBR LEC SPA ALG 3rd 80 2018 Proton Competition LMGTE Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 LEC MNZ RBR SIL SPA ALG 3rd 85.5 2019 Dempsey-Proton Racing LMGTE Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0L Flat-6 LEC MNZ CAT SIL SPA ALG 2nd 76 2023 Iron Lynx LMGTE Porsche 911 RSR-19 Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 CAT LEC ARA SPA PRT ALG 3rd 80 2024 Iron Lynx - Proton LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT LEC IMO SPA MUG ALG 8th 36 2025 Iron Lynx - Proton LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT LEC IMO SPA SIL ALG 9th 35Source: * Season still in progress.
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)