Aitken to continue in DTM with Emil Frey Ferrari

Aitken will drive the #14 Ferrari 296 GT3 in the ADAC-owned category in 2024, with Max Verstappen-supported Thierry Vermeulen again taking the cockpit of the team’s second car.

The British driver will combine his DTM commitments with racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship’s GTP class, having stepped up to a full-time seat at the Action Express Racing Cadillac team this year alongside Pipo Derani.

The 28-year-old had previously told Autosport in January that he was still in talks about continuing in the DTM, whose 2024 calendar features no clashes with his IMSA schedule.

“A second season of DTM is exciting,” said Aitken at the announcement. “I loved last year's series for how competitive and aggressive the racing can be. 

“Our expectations are to fight more consistently at the front and to take more wins and pole positions.

“⁠I think we have a bit more of an understanding with the Ferrari now than we did at the start of last year, so we can expect to be even stronger.”

Aitken, whose relationship with Emil Frey harks back to 2021 when the Swiss team was part of the Lamborghini’s fold, scored a podium on his DTM debut at Oschersleben last year before adding a maiden victory at the Lausitzring to his CV.

However he only finished 14th in the standings, a combination of him missing the Zandvoort races due to a clash with IMSA and inconsistent results on both sides of his Lausitzring win.

Jack Aitken, Emil Frey Racing Ferrari Ferrari 296 GT3

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

Lorenz Frey-Hilti, Team Principal, added: "We were able to gain a lot of experience with the Ferrari throughout last year and are still very convinced and impressed by what a great racing-car Ferrari has developed. 

“This year we are better prepared for the season, because last year the switch to Ferrari took place very late before the first race. The expectations from outside are very high, but we also have high expectations of ourselves. 

“Our aim is to regularly finish in the top-10, both in the DTM and in the Sprint Cup and the ADAC GT Masters. It is certainly a big challenge, and we obviously want to fight for victories, which is why we are on the race track in the first place.”

Emil Frey had received plenty of interest to add a third Ferrari to its DTM programme in 2024. However, team boss Frey-Hilti told Autosport’s sister title Motorsport-Total.com that a driver’s sponsor pulled out of its financial commitments, prompting Emil Frey to stick to running two cars.

Additional reporting by Sven Haidinger