Today's update brings DTM Esports 2026 to Ranked Multiplayer as the first championship in the new format, a rebuilt side draft model, a first round of rework on dedicated server performance, and a set of GT3 physics ahead of DTM esports.
Championship mode in Ranked Multiplayer
There's a new Championships tab in the Ranked Multiplayer menu, and DTM Esports 2026 is the first championship to appear there. This is the first time a full championship structure lives inside Ranked, so the layout will most likely be evolving as we see how it's used. Make sure you share your feedback on the interface with us on Discord.
Side draft, rebuilt
Moritz Löhner flagged to me on Discord a couple weeks ago that side-by-side situations weren't behaving right, which kicked off an investigation, and you got the result of this rework in today's update.
The physics model now properly separates three cases: clean air, the slipstream behind a car, and the side draft alongside it.
Sitting in another car's slipstream still gives you reduced drag, and the leading car's own drag drops slightly as you fill the low pressure area behind it. The new part is the side draft itself. When you pull up alongside and slightly behind the car ahead, roughly half to three quarters of a car length back, that leading car picks up extra drag. The car doing the overtaking isn't penalized.
The effect is strongest when the two cars are close together side to side and fades smoothly as the gap opens up. On a long straight, the car being overtaken loses a bit of top end while you're alongside it, which changes how side-by-side runs and late braking into the next corner play out.
A couple real life examples of side-draft in action:
Dedicated server bandwidth
This is the first part of a wider rework of netcode performance. From today, each dedicated server uses less bandwidth. CPU usage is the next area being worked on, with the longer term goal of larger online grids without giving up stability. As we have a lot of priorities lined up, we don't have a precise timeline to share at this point for the delivery of that CPU pass.
Patch Notes
Update details:
Download size = 2.2 GB
Client version = 0.9.7.72
Client BuildID = 23292427
Dedicated Server version = 109.0.1640
Dedicated Server BuildID = 23337611
Changelog:
Ranked Multiplayer - Added Championships tab with DTM Esports 2026 as the first championship
Physics - Rebuilt the side draft model so a car being overtaken gains drag when another car runs alongside and slightly behind it
Dedicated Server - Reduced per-server bandwidth usage
Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II - Increased fuel tank range to 125 litres to equalize stint lengths, Improved downshifts in Automatic Gearbox mode
BMW M4 GT3 Evo - Improved downshifts in Automatic Gearbox mode
Ferrari 296 GT3 - Improved downshifts in Automatic Gearbox mode
Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo II - Retuned the default suspension with revised front and rear anti-roll bar settings and a stiffer default spring, shifting the baseline balance, Improved downshifts in Automatic Gearbox mode
McLaren 720S GT3 Evo - Improved downshifts in Automatic Gearbox mode
Mercedes-AMG GT3 - Improved downshifts in Automatic Gearbox mode
Ningbo - Fixed a case where going off track near the wall would see the player miss the crossing of a sector time gate and the lap would not count
Porsche 992 GT3 R - Improved downshifts in Automatic Gearbox mode
Various cars - Increased precision in texture coordinates to reduce distortion seen on logos positioned on round shaped car parts