The long and winding road to a DTM seat for Red Bull's latest hope

But while Felipe Fraga likely hasn't been on the radar of hardened DTM fans, his CV features extensive GT racing pedigree and a title in Brazil's highly competitive Stock Car Pro Series that makes him well qualified to carry on where Lawson left off in taking on some of GT racing's elite names.

It was back in 2012 when a 16-year-old Fraga got his first taste of the DTM. The karting graduate was new to slicks-and-wings single-seaters, competing in the Formula Renault Alps series against a field that featured future Formula 1 drivers Daniil Kvyat, Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon. 

Naturally, Fraga only had eyes on emulating esteemed compatriots Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet and Emerson Fittipaldi in making a mark for himself in grand prix racing. But after being invited by Red Bull to attend the energy drink giant's home event in Austria, he came away impressed by the calibre of machinery on display from Audi, Mercedes and BMW.

"I was a new Red Bull athlete at the time," recalls Fraga. "When I was at the Red Bull training centre in Austria, I was invited by Red Bull to watch the DTM race at the Red Bull Ring. Ten years later, I returned - to test the [Ferrari 488 GT3] DTM car.

"I was a formula driver at the time and of course only dreamed of Formula 1, but those [DTM] cars were crazy. They were even faster than Formula 3, which was running in the support programme at the time. I couldn't believe it."

Despite some promising results in the Alps series, including a podium at the tricky Pau circuit, Fraga simply didn't have the funds to move up the racing ladder in Europe. He instead returned to his homeland the following year, joining the Stock Car Light Series. 

He won the championship in his rookie season to secure a move into the flagship Pro Series for 2014, but still Fraga was keen to return to Europe - and the DTM was the championship at the top of his wishlist.

"When I became a Stock Car driver in 2014, I was already thinking about the DTM," he admits.

Fraga will lead Red Bull's DTM lineup this year with Cassidy not doing all the rounds

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

"DTM was the top touring car series at the time. I was thinking about DTM and Super GT in Japan, since Red Bull is active in both series. I always had these two series in mind."

Fraga became the youngest Stock Cars champion in 2016, beating ex-Ferrari F1 driver Rubens Barrichello to the crown in an epic two-horse race. More race wins and a second-place finish in the championship followed over the next three years, but by 2019 Fraga was dovetailing his Stock Car drive in Brazil with GT3 outings in Europe.

His Silver driver grading made Fraga an attractive prospect for endurance races, only losing out on a GTE Am class victory on his Le Mans 24 Hours debut at the wheel of a Keating Motorsport-entered Ford GT to a technical infringement. He also won that year's Blancpain Endurance Cup Silver title in an AKKA Mercedes.

In 2020 he quit the Brazilian Stock Car series altogether to fulfil his sportscar racing ambitions, before joining Mercedes’ GT roster the following year and claiming an outright GT World Challenge Europe win alongside Jules Gounon and Raffaele Marciello at Barcelona. 

"I didn't have the dream of winning the [Stock Car] title two, three, four or five times, but wanted to progress and try bigger things," said Fraga, who also finished second in the World Endurance Championship's GTE Am standings in a TF Sport Aston Martin.

Fraga also tried his hand at prototype racing last year, embarking on a race-winning campaign with Riley Motorsports in the LMP3 class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship.

Then, when Red Bull was left with no choice but to look outside its roster of F1 juniors to fill a vacant seat in the DTM, it called on Fraga to partner Nick Cassidy (who will be replaced by rally legend Sebastien Loeb for his clashing Formula E commitments).

"I was always asking Red Bull Brazil and Red Bull HQ if there was a possibility and if they had something for me, because I'm in Europe now,” he revealed.

Fraga won the GTWCE finale last year with Mercedes, and has also had success with Aston Martin in GT cars

Photo by: SRO

"So when they asked me if I wanted to join the DTM, I was completely taken by surprise and could hardly say anything. I just said that I was ready and very happy to accept the offer.

"I’ve always dreamed of driving a real Red Bull race car and in such a strong field. The team has done everything to make me feel comfortable right from the start."

While Fraga perhaps lacks the recognition of decorated DTM rivals such as Rene Rast, he now has the perfect opportunity to set that right and go one better than Lawson managed in 2021.