Audi is the best DTM manufacturer for the seventh time: after 2004, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020, the brand with the four rings has now asserted itself in the manufacturers’ classification for the first time with the GT3 sports car R8 LMS.
In his last DTM race for Audi, René Rast finished second for the sixth time this year on the podium and secured third place in the drivers’ standings. The Abt Sportsline team is third in the team classification, tied on points with the second-placed Mercedes-AMG Winward team.
“For the second time in a row, an Audi driver kept the fight for the title in the DTM open until the finale,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Rolf Michl. “René has done a great deal for Audi in his exceptional career. We would have gladly granted him a fourth DTM championship trophy.”
Winning the manufacturers’ classification means a lot to Audi Sport customer racing. “In the entire world of customer racing, the DTM is certainly one of the most competitive racing series,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. «A big compliment to our three teams and personally to those responsible Thomas Biermaier, Kimmo Liimatainen and Arkin Aka. Together with all the drivers, they secured the brand title for us. Being the best of six manufacturers and finishing in the top three of 34 drivers and 17 teams is an honor.”
After Audi Sport driver Kelvin van der Linde fought for the title up to the finale last year, three-time champion René Rast kept the fight for the championship open until the 16th and final race this year. The 35-year-old professional from Team Abt came to the Hockenheimring as one of ten drivers from five different brands with title chances.
Cleverly, Rast avoided several serious accidents in Saturday’s race and scored valuable points in fifth place before securing pole position for the final race on Sunday morning. In the decisive final race, only three drivers still had a chance of winning the championship. After 34 laps, Rast took second place in front of newly crowned champion Sheldon van der Linde. This means that five of the six Audi drivers clinched twelve podium finishes in total in the past DTM season.
Audi has its three customer teams to thank for the top result in the manufacturers’ classification. After Abt Sportsline and Team Rosberg had already launched the R8 LMS in the GT3 debut year of the DTM in 2021, Attempto Racing with private driver Marius Zug was also there for the first time this year.
Third in qualifying, he scored his first point for Arkin Aka’s team from Hanover in Hockenheim on Sunday. Finishing fourth in the race marked a strong end to the season for the 19-year-old native of Munich. He was only 0.291 seconds short of the podium.
Just like the German, Dev Gore started this season as a privateer in an Audi. The 25-year-old racing driver from Team Rosberg experienced his best race in Imola. At the third event, the American achieved a DTM podium result for the first time in his career thanks to a good race strategy and a convincing personal performance after an early pit stop in second place. His Rosberg team-mate, Audi driver Nico Müller, recorded his best performances of the year with a win at the season opener in Portimão and second place in Imola. The Swiss came in seventh in the final standings as the second-best driver of an Audi R8 LMS.
Two other Audi Sport drivers were at the start for Abt Sportsline. Kelvin van der Linde achieved his best performances with Audi this year at the Nürburgring: After winning the 24-hour race with Audi for the second time in May, three months later in the DTM he also achieved the best DTM season result. He finished the season in ninth place. His team-mate Ricardo Feller set several exclamation marks in his debut season in the DTM. The Swiss celebrated his first victory at the third weekend in Imola, and another trophy came with third place at the Nürburgring.