René Rast, DTM Champion in 2017, 2019 and 2020, will drive for the BMW M Motorsport squad from 2023 after completing his switch from Audi, with details of the specific events and cars he will race in to be released at a later date.
Rast has dominated DTM over recent years, and is still in the title race with current team ABT for the 2022 season, sitting in third place in the drivers’ standings halfway through the year, with a win at Imola and podiums at the Lausitzring and Norisring.
On his move to BMW, the German driver said: “After so many successful years at Audi, I am looking forward to a new challenge, I followed what has been going on at BMW M Motorsport in the past years and a long time ago, I took my first steps in motor racing in #Formula BMW. Returning to BMW now, almost 20 years later, is a great story and a logical step for me.”
Out of the BMW backed teams competing in DTM this year, Schubert Motorsport have faired the best. With South African driver, Sheldon Van der Linde, winning both races at the Lausitzring as well as occupying the championship lead for a large chunk of the season.
Even without mentioning two time DTM champion, Marco Wittmann and 24 hours of Daytona winner, Philipp Eng, both factory BMW drivers currently competing in DTM. It is interesting to think where Rast fits into that equation. Will he even compete in the competition next year? Or will he only compete in a handful of races in DTM? As his schedule has been filled further after signing up to race McLaren’s new Gen3 Formula E car for 2023.
His new boss, Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, didn’t give much away in his reaction to the move. He said: “I know René Rast very well from my time at Audi and I am delighted that we will work together now at BMW M Motorsport. René is a very versatile racing driver and a fantastic addition to our squad of drivers.
“His success speaks for itself. He has immediately been fast in every car he has driven so far. He also has a meticulous approach to his job, which has always impressed me. I am confident that he will be a great help to us in many areas, whether it be racing or developing our cars.”
