Albon to contest DTM in 2021 with Red Bull backing alongside Lawson
Alex Albon will contest select DTM races in 2021 with backing from Red Bull after being dropped by the energy drink brand's lead Formula 1 squad
Red Bull announced last month that ex-Racing Point driver Sergio Perez will partner Max Verstappen in 2021, leaving Albon without a drive in F1.
Red Bull had previously said that it is open to lending out Albon to another grand prix team, but has now announced that he would be racing in the first year of the DTM's GT3 era whenever his duties as the outfit's F1 test and simulator driver allow.
An announcement regarding the driver Albon will alternate the seat with will be made at a later date.
PLUS: Why Albon's F1 dream isn't all over
Red Bull junior Liam Lawson, who finished fifth in Formula 3 last year, will also compete in the DTM, driving for the full season.
It is unclear if Lawson will double his DTM commitments with a full season drive in Formula 2 after appearing in the post-season test with Hitech alongside fellow Red Bull protege Juri Vips.
"The DTM with a high-class field and GT3 sports cars is an interesting platform and a real challenge, both for successful race drivers like Alex Albon as for our Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson," said Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko.
Albon and Lawson are the first two drivers to be confirmed for the 2021 DTM season, although it has yet to be announced with team they will drive for.
Red Bull has previously been involved in the DTM, most famously sponsoring the factory Audi of two-time champion Mattias Ekstrom during his last few years in the category.
"Formula 1 drivers like Alex Albon, DTM stars like three-time champion René Rast, GT professionals and young talents like Liam Lawson - that is a high-class driver mix the way I would like it for the 2021 DTM season," said DTM chief Gerhard Berger.
"It is also a perfect fit that ex-Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button has already submitted an entry for the DTM with his team. Alex Albon is a young, ambitious driver and an outstanding gain for the DTM."
A total of five teams have already committed to the DTM's first season featuring GT3 machinery, namely GruppeM (Mercedes), 2 Seas Motorsport and Jenson Team Rocket RJN (both McLaren), Team Rosberg and Team Abt (both Audi).
Ekstrom "worried" pay drivers could flood GT3-based DTM
Frijns: DTM return difficult due to Formula E clashes
Teenager Oeverhaus to become youngest DTM driver at Nurburgring
Theo Oeverhaus will become the youngest driver to race in the DTM when the 17-year-old makes his series debut at the Nurburgring later this month with the Walkenhorst BMW team.
Can the DTM’s reigning champion turn around his sluggish title defence?
With 67 fewer points and 14 positions lower in the standings than at the equivalent point last year, Maximilian Gotz has had a tough start to his DTM season. The Mercedes driver explains his struggles, and how he’s going about addressing them
DTM evaluating adding Nurburgring Nordschleife to 2023 calendar
The DTM is believed to be considering a return to the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife as early as 2023, but it must overcome several hurdles to make the race a reality.
How Audi DTM heavyweights Rast and Muller compare
The GT3-based DTM is a different proposition to the Class 1 era that ended in 2020, but Audi’s top protagonists remain the same. Rivals Rene Rast and Nico Muller have now swapped teams, making their Team Rosberg and Abt engineers uniquely qualified to reveal what makes the pair tick
The longest-serving Red Bull driver revealing F1’s true brutality
His day of days in Formula 1 came at Indianapolis in 2005, a day grand prix racing strives to forget. But Patrick Friesacher, the long-serving Red Bull lieutenant, remains active today driving a two-seater that provides ordinary people with a glimpse of an F1 car’s savage potential, including this writer...
How the DTM has come back stronger from its Norisring nadir
OPINION: Questionable driving standards and farcical team orders meant the DTM's first season under GT3 regulations ended under a cloud. But the organisation has responded firmly by banning team orders and welcomed new manufacturers, making for an intriguing season ahead as new and returning names prepare for battle
The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics
Over two decades as a factory driver with Audi and BMW, Martin Tomczyk earned the respect of team-mates and rivals as a hard but fair racer. After calling time on his racing career, the 2011 DTM champion sat down with Autosport to look back
The other Hamilton conqueror seeking career revival
On his rise through the ranks before reaching Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton was usually a cut above the rest. But he never truly asserted himself over a Mercedes-backed fellow Briton who traded single-seaters for touring cars and is now seeking new opportunities after a year largely spent on the sidelines
How the DTM's shambolic finale poses awkward future questions
OPINION: The scenes at the Norisring as Mercedes used blatant team orders to secure the first DTM title of the new GT3 era totally undermined the credibility of the championship. But as well as overshadowing the season, it also presents uncomfortable questions to series bosses about the direction it is headed in
How Audi's new DTM star is channeling Rast to achieve his "childhood dream"
Having learned the ropes in GT3 alongside Rene Rast, Kelvin van der Linde is in line to take up the three-time champion's baton as Audi's new DTM king. From humble origins in South Africa, it's been a remarkable journey so far for the current series leader, but he knows that the 2021 title is a long way from settled just yet
The number-crunching behind the new-look DTM's equalisation drive
Switching to GT3 regulations marked a fresh start for the DTM in 2021, but it has also drawn a line in the sand against other series using similar cars by engaging AVL Racing to develop a bespoke Balance of Performance system. Here’s how it works
The initial verdict on DTM's move to GT3 cars
OPINION: Facing collapse last year, the DTM has shifted its philosophy from a championship for silhouette-based touring cars to GT machines not too dissimilar to those racing across multiple series worldwide. But despite some initial BoP-based teething troubles, there were some pleasant findings as the 'new DTM' got underway at Monza