How the DTM has come back stronger from its Norisring nadir

When 19 GT3 cars lined up at Monza in June of last year for the start of the 2021 DTM season, it appeared that series organiser the ITR had done everything right to re-invent a series that traces its history to 1984. While the manufacturers that had played such an integral role in turning the DTM into one of the most popular racing series in Europe were gone, a strong cast of drivers and customer teams meant that there was genuine interest in how the new era of the series would pan out.

As the season wore on, more and more people started to approve of the direction the DTM had taken, as attested by impressive crowd numbers at venues such as Assen. Races were genuinely entertaining, a thrilling four-way title scrap was brewing between drivers from as many different manufacturers, and there weren’t too many major issues to complain about once Monza's BoP gripes were addressed - save for some unnecessary crashes and the presence of the odd pay driver on the grid.

Then came Norisring, the crown jewel on the DTM calendar. The German street circuit was a fitting venue to bring down the curtain to what had been a brilliant season of sportscar racing. But what should have been the series’ most memorable weekend of the year turned out to be its worst nightmare.

Some questionable tactics from Audi challenger Kelvin van der Linde wrecked the race of championship leader Liam Lawson, whose Red Bull Ferrari was left limping well off the pace at the back of the field, before egregious team orders from Mercedes dealt even more damage, handing the title to Maximilian Gotz. And while the DTM as a series could not necessarily be blamed for what happened over the course of that Sunday afternoon, certainly not in the same way as the FIA was responsible for the controversy that ensued two months later in the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 finale, the series’ reputation nonetheless took a serious hit as a widespread outrage followed.

PLUS: How the DTM's shambolic finale poses awkward future questions

To the DTM’s credit, it handled the controversy fairly well, with initial comments by series boss Gerhard Berger in the post-race press conference followed by an official statement hinting at a ban on team orders for 2022. At the start of this year the DTM duly delivered on its promise, with the new sporting regulations confirming a complete ban on any kind of artificial manipulation from teams, manufacturers or sponsors. The DTM said penalties would include exclusion from the championship, showing just how serious it is about avoiding a repeat of last year’s Norisring fiasco.

The swift response from Berger and co. was important in rebuilding the confidence in the DTM, ensuring there is no lasting damage to the series’ reputation. Already it has played a crucial role in ensuring Red Bull stays in the category despite Lawson’s heartbreaking title defeat, with the series bosses personally meeting the company’s CEO Dietrich Mateschitz to get the nod.

Red Bull has continued its support of the DTM with Cassidy and Fraga signed up for 2022

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

It’s not just Red Bull that is willing to look past the events of the Norisring and focus on the product that the DTM is offering, with 29 cars now confirmed for the series’ second campaign under GT3 regulations. This is more than a 50% jump to last year’s full-season grid and shows that the DTM can not only create a space for itself in a crowded GT3 market, but even steal some big names from other championships using the same ruleset.

It’s a major endorsement for the DTM that Lamborghini squad Grasser Racing has quit all its existing programmes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, GT World Challenge Europe and ADAC GT Masters series to field four cars in the series. It’s the kind of commitment that shows that people are willing to put their faith in the DTM and are confident that the series can build on its 2021 foundations.

This confidence is also visible on the drivers’ front, with a whole host of new and returning faces cementing the DTM’s status as one of the very best in terms of quality of the field. What was already a strong grid in 2021 is further strengthened by the return of three-time champion Rene Rast, who will join an all-star line-up at Abt Sportsline alongside van der Linde and reigning GT Masters champion Ricardo Feller.

It speaks highly of the DTM that Porsche and Lamborghini have made the category the main programme for their lead GT drivers, when they could easily have been assigned elsewhere. For a manufacturer like Porsche that had resented an entry into the DTM for decades, that’s a major statement of intent

When Rast left the DTM in 2021 to pursue a full-time role in Formula E, it left a major gap to plug - in a similar fashion to Australia’s Supercars series in the wake of Scott McLaughlin’s move to IndyCar with Penske. But even though the 35-year-old's 2017, 2019 and 2020 titles came in an altogether different formula to the one seen now, he has plenty of GT3 pedigree having won the Spa and Nurburgring 24 Hours in 2014, and also wrapped up that year's GT Masters title with van der Linde. His comeback following the conclusion of Audi's FE involvement will only expand the number of potential championship contenders.

At Audi’s long-time rival Mercedes, Maro Engel returns to the DTM for the first time since 2017 - a much longer hiatus than Rast’s - with Engel's regular GT World Challenge Europe co-driver Luca Stolz bolstering the Stuttgart-based marque’s assault to eight cars. Remember, it was Mercedes that first turned its back on the DTM after 2018, so the fact that is now going above and beyond what is expected of a manufacturer in a customer-focused series shows it clearly likes the GT3 formula.

If the return of Rast and Engel wasn’t enough, the series has also managed to attract three major newcomers in Laurens Vanthoor, Nicki Thiim and Mirko Bortolotti, each regarded as some of the best factory GT racers in the world.

Vanthoor is one of Porsche's top aces, taking GTE Pro class spoils at Le Mans in 2018 before adding a second Spa 24 Hours victory in 2020 and taking last year's IMSA GTD crown. Aston Martin factory ace Thiim, a two-time champion in the World Endurance Championship's GTE Pro division, has joined the T3 Motorsport Lamborghini squad, while Bortolotti’s CV is no less impressive. The Italian secured the 2017 Blancpain GT Endurance and overall titles before taking back-to-back Daytona 24 Hours class wins in IMSA’s blue riband event in 2018 and 2019.

Danish Aston ace Thiim will make his DTM debut in T3 Motorsport Lambo

Photo by: T3 Motorsport

It also speaks highly of the DTM that Porsche and Lamborghini have made the category the main programme for their lead GT drivers, when they could easily have been assigned elsewhere. For a manufacturer like Porsche that had resented an entry into the DTM for decades, that’s a major statement of intent.

With both Timo Glock and Alex Albon having left the series, there won’t be any ex-F1 drivers on the grid this year. But Thiim - son of 1986 DTM champion Kurt - and David Schumacher, the son of grand prix winner Ralf, do at least lend some star power with their surnames and continue a familial legacy.

And while Red Bull won’t have an aspiring grand prix racer like Lawson for its second season in the DTM, primarily due to clashes with Formula 2 and Formula 3, Nick Cassidy and Felipe Fraga are two talented drivers - champions in Super GT (2017) and Brazilian Stock Cars (2016) respectively - who can put the AF Corse-run team in a championship-winning position again. And let’s not forget that Cassidy is due to miss at least two rounds due to clashing commitments, leaving the door open for a Red Bull F1 junior to be present for the Portimao and Norisring races should a deal not transpire with rally legend Sebastien Loeb.

It is also worth noting that most of last year’s grid has been retained, with the likes of Marco Wittmann, Sheldon van der Linde (both BMW), 2020 runner-up Nico Muller (Audi), Lucas Auer and reigning champion Gotz (both Mercedes) all continuing in the DTM to have another crack at the title. The only notable exceptions are Glock and 2012 champion Mike Rockenfeller, but BMW and Audi have found more than capable replacements for them in the form of returnee Philipp Eng and Rast respectively.

For all the star names who have signed up for the 2022 season though, there has been an increase in the number of pay drivers on this year’s grid. It’s not that the DTM hadn’t previously been home to some left-field drivers since its revival in 2000, but as the manufacturers stepped up their involvement and stopped running year-old cars in 2012 it became virtually impossible for a non-factory driver to land a seat.

Certainly, a driver who failed to muster a single point across three seasons in F3 and F2 wouldn’t have any chance of racing in the DTM had the manufacturers still been running full-factory programmes.

It also appears that some two-car teams have simply hired a pay driver just to afford a star signing on the other side of the garage. This is something that is not unheard of in sportscar racing and is part of the business model for several GT teams, but does somewhat undermine what is supposed to be an all-professional racing series. Plus, poor driving standards, combined with an expanded grid of 29 cars, may lead to crashes at the tail end of the field.

David Schumacher is an intriguing addition to the series with Mercedes, becoming the third member of his family to race in the DTM

Photo by: Winward

“It's going to be close to 30 cars, which is insane to think how we are going to do the Indy restarts and starts in general,” says BMW driver van der Linde. “It's going to be a lot of chaos. It's going to be good for fans, it's going to provide a lot of action for the fans. But for the drivers it's going to be extremely tough to stay out of these fights and finish races.”

All things considered however, the DTM has all the ingredients to deliver another successful GT3 campaign. With six full season manufacturers, including the big four from Germany, the DTM is certainly in rude health going into the 2022 season.

It was the rapid exits of Mercedes and then Audi that triggered the DTM into taking its revolutionary approach last year. Now both the brands are back and providing extensive factory support, fielding more cars between them than they did even during the final years of their Class One rivalry from 2017-18…

Rene Rast returns to the DTM and has GT Masters title-winner Ricardo Feller alongside at Abt Sportsline

Photo by: Abt Sportsline