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Audi and BMW reveal line-ups for DTM end of year test

GP2 frontrunner Mitch Evans and McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner George Russell are among the young drivers who will get DTM tests with Audi and BMW at Jerez next week

All three DTM manufacturers traditionally offer a host of young racers try-outs at the end of the season.

Russell, who was a race-winner in his Formula 3 European Championship rookie season this year, is the only driver outside the existing BMW stable to get a run with the squad at Jerez this year.

The 17-year-old is joined by works BMW GT racer and recent F3 returnee Alexander Sims, plus BMW juniors Jesse Krohn and Louis Deletraz, who raced in the European Le Mans Series and won the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC crown this year respectively.

BMW has not yet announced its 2016 DTM driver plans.

By contrast Audi confirmed at its end of season event on Saturday night it would keep its current eight DTM racers for next year, so the drivers it is auditioning know an immediate race seat is not on offer.

Audi's list is headlined by GP2 race winners Evans and Arthur Pic.

Indy Lights race winner and sometime Formula E racer Matthew Brabham will also make his DTM test debut, along with Spaniard Alex Palou - winner of the GP3 season finale on Sunday.

A wildcard inclusion is mid-2000s single-seater racer Ben Hanley, who returned to karting in 2010 after reaching Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2 level, and winning in Superleague Formula.

The 30-year-old Briton claimed the CIK-FIA European KF karting title this year.

Audi's test list is completed by European F3 frontrunner Antonio Giovinazzi, who has already raced for its DTM team when he stood in for the banned Timo Scheider at the Moscow Raceway round.

He recently told Autosport he was open to a fourth F3 season in 2016, saying "why not? It's a good category" when asked if he might return.

But he has also been strongly linked to an official Audi DTM test role, which he said would be his main focus if it came off.

"To do two things would not be good because you need to focus on one thing," he said.

Mercedes has yet to announce who it will field in the Jerez test, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday.

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