The Class 1 technical package represented the most sweeping rule change in the DTM's modern era. The traditional 4.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 engines used since 2000 were retired in favour of 2.0-litre inline-four single-turbocharged units producing approximately 610 horsepower, limited to 9,500 rpm. The turbos were supplied by Garrett Advancing Motion. Individual engine units were required to last at least 6,000 kilometres, and any unit change during a race weekend triggered a ten-place grid penalty.
Aerodynamic changes included the return of a wider single-plane rear wing, last seen in this configuration in 2016, along with a revised Drag Reduction System allowing activation within three seconds of the car ahead. Minimum car weight dropped from 1,115 to 1,070 kilograms. Launch control was banned, the traditional interior rear-view mirror was replaced by a camera, and new Bosch electronics — including the DDU 10 colour dashboard display and MS 7.4 engine management system — were mandated across all entries.
An IndyCar-style push-to-pass overtake system was also introduced, generating around 30 additional horsepower and available to each driver up to twelve times per race.
The new Class 1 regulations were designed to be shared with the Japanese Super GT series' GT500 class from the 2020 season onward, opening the door for cross-championship entries.
The season began with a return to the fixed-lap-distance race format last used in 2014, replacing the 55-minutes-plus-one-lap timed format. A safety car provision allowed races to be extended by up to three laps. However, after the opening round the previous timed format was reinstated alongside the new safety car extension rule. The two-race-per-weekend structure was maintained throughout the nine-round calendar.
Aston Martin's entry was run by AF Racing AG and built by HWA, fielding cars based on the Vantage road car. W Racing Team joined as Audi's first independent DTM customer team since Futurecom TME contested the series between 2006 and 2009, running two Audi RS5 Turbo DTM cars.
Several notable driver moves reshaped the grid. Defending champion Gary Paffett departed after sixteen years to join HWA Racelab in Formula E, alongside Pascal Wehrlein and Edoardo Mortara. Augusto Farfus also left after seven seasons to join the World Touring Car Cup. Sheldon van der Linde, the 2018 ADAC GT Masters runner-up, replaced Farfus at BMW. Ferdinand Habsburg and Jake Dennis made their DTM debuts with the R-Motorsport Aston Martin outfit, as did Jonathan Aberdein and Pietro Fittipaldi with W Racing Team.
A notable mid-season development occurred when Ducati MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso was announced as a replacement for Fittipaldi at Misano, only for Fittipaldi to ultimately compete — though at Audi Sport Team Rosberg rather than his usual seat, covering for Jamie Green who was recovering from appendicitis.
The nine-round calendar announced in October 2018 introduced the TT Circuit Assen as a new venue and brought back Circuit Zolder for the first time since 2002. The Hungaroring, Red Bull Ring, and Zandvoort dropped off the schedule, while the Misano round returned to a daytime start after a nighttime slot in previous years.
The 500th DTM race in the championship's history was held during the second race at Lausitzring in 2019. A non-championship Super GT x DTM Dream Race was held at Fuji Speedway, with Honda, Lexus, and Nissan each fielding a wildcard car at the Hockenheimring season finale to mark the beginning of the DTM-Super GT technical alliance.
Audi dominated the competitive landscape across the season. René Rast secured the drivers' championship at the Nürburgring round, claiming his second DTM title. Audi clinched the manufacturers' title with four races still remaining. All teams competed on Hankook tyres, the series' control supplier.
The 2019 season marked a decisive turning point for the DTM, abandoning the V8 era that had defined two decades of racing in favour of a globally harmonised formula designed to attract international manufacturers and facilitate cross-platform competition. The Class 1 regulations and the DTM-Super GT partnership positioned the series as part of a broader international touring car framework heading into the 2020s, before the DTM's further transformation to a GT3-based formula in 2021.