Paul Di Resta has been announced as the first driver for the R-Motorsport team which will be bringing Aston Martin brand to DTM under exclusive licence.
The 2010 champion is the first of four drivers for the 2019 DTM season, with nine seasons in the series Di Resta will bring valuable experience to the team after finishing the 2018 season in third place.
“I am looking forward to the new DTM season and the challenge to compete with the Aston Martin Vantage DTM car for my new team R-Motorsport,” said Di Resta.
“It will certainly be not easy to challenge our competition of experienced teams of big premium manufacturers with our comparatively small outfit.
“However my impression of our team’s professionalism and ambition is very positive and I’ll go into the preparation of the championship season with a good feeling.
“I can’t wait to drive the Aston Martin Vantage DTM car at the first test on the race track and contribute my part to the development of the new car.”
After spending three years in DTM Di Resta graduated to Formula 1 with the Force India team before heading back to Mercedes-AMG in DTM when he was left without a drive.
“In Paul, we have secured the services of a knowledgeable and experienced driver with an impressive sporting CV,” said Team Principal Florian Kamelger.
“This signing is a key element in the development of our new Aston Martin Vantage DTM. His experience and natural speed should help us to quickly bring the new DTM car up to a competitive standard.
“We are aware that this is not going to be an easy task for us at R-Motorsport, because in the DTM we are facing competition from works teams who not only have the backing of well-known premium manufacturers but have also grown accustomed to success over the years.
“But it’s a challenge that we are happy to rise to, and we’re looking forward to the upcoming DTM season.”
