Rast: Van der Linde will be the benchmark on my DTM return
Rene Rast believes Audi stablemate Kelvin van der Linde will be the driver to beat when he returns to the DTM after a year's absence in 2022.
Van der Linde scored more wins (four) and pole positions (five) than any other driver in his rookie season in the DTM and led the championship at the halfway point of the year, but ultimately finished third in the standings after a controversial finale in which he collided with Red Bull protege Liam Lawson.
Three-time champion Rast is poised to partner the South African at Abt Sportsline next year, taking the seat vacated by 2013 champion Mike Rockenfeller after spending the current season away from the DTM in Formula E.
And with the German driver expected to face a steep learning curve in the second year of the DTM’s new GT3 formula, he doesn't expect himself to be in the title hunt, instead naming van der Linde as the new benchmark of the series.
"Next year I'll be back on the grid for Audi Sport because I thought to myself, 'now you try again to stand up to the boys’, even though it will be extremely difficult, because of course [Class One and GT3] are completely different cars," Rast told Sport1 Motor & Sport Magazin.
"The guys driving up front all have a lot of experience on the cars and we have seen guys like Lucas di Grassi, Mike Rockenfeller or Nico Muller, who don't know the cars that well, might find it a bit more difficult. So my chances next year are not quite as great as some people might think.
“I'll be very happy if I'm anywhere near the level Kelvin is at. He is certainly the benchmark in the GT3 car. You saw that very clearly this year when you look at where he was and where the second best Audi [Rockenfeller] was in the championship.
"From that point of view, I'm going to have to work really hard to get anywhere near there."
Kelvin van der Linde, Abt Sportsline Audi R8 LMS GT3
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
Rast and van der Linde together won the GT Masters title with Audi in 2014, which immediately led to the South African earning a factory contract with the German manufacturer.
Van der Linde went on to win a second title in GT Masters and also has an outright victory at the Nurburgring 24 Hours on his CV.
Rast says he would be happy to help the 25-year-old with his title bid next year, as the three-time champion feels victories are the best he could hope for on his return to the DTM.
"Driving against each other is new for us and certainly not easy to handle,” he said.
"Nevertheless, I think I really have a lot of experience in motorsport by now and can differentiate quite well when I have to be, and can maybe even support him in one or the other situation in the championship fight.
"I would be happy if I could compete for victories. Of course, it always depends on the tracks, which car is competitive on which track at the moment. We have seen that this year. Every now and then there are tracks that suit one car more than the other. You have to take that into account next year.”
It is unclear if Rast will remain in the DTM for more than one season as he has been contracted by Audi to lead its return to Le Mans 24 Hours with an LMDh car in 2023.
Rast’s former DTM title rival Muller will also be part of the programme that will include a full season in the FIA World Endurance Championship, while van der Linde is also in contention to drive the successor to the Audi R18.
Related video
DTM adds Imola to nine-round 2022 calendar
David Schumacher leads Mercedes DTM rookie test line-up
Daytona 24: WTR Acura tops heavily interrupted FP1
Five red flags disrupted the first practice session for this weekend's Daytona 24 Hours, while Filipe Albuquerque put the Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti Autosport Acura on top.
Pedrosa to make KTM MotoGP wildcard outing in Spanish GP
Dani Pedrosa will make his first MotoGP race start since the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix with a wildcard entry for KTM at this year’s Spanish GP in April.
House of Lords peer criticises "discourteous and unprofessional" Ben Sulayem
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been criticised by a House of Lords peer for being "deeply discourteous and unprofessional" in failing to reply to human rights concerns.
LMP2 drivers question move to slow class for Daytona 24 Hours
Leading LMP2 drivers have questioned the need for the secondary class to be slowed ahead of this weekend's Daytona 24 Hours, given that the new top-class GTP cars are running similar lap times to their DPi predecessors.
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
Nyck de Vries’s Italian GP exploits weren’t the first post-eleventh-hour call-up in motorsport history, and won’t be the last either. Here are some offbeat tales from the past
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
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.