In terms of action, suspense and variety, the 2022 DTM is setting benchmarks in every way. The world’s best GT drivers excite motorsport fans on-site and in front of the TV screens with fascinating wheel-to-wheel duels at the very limit. Almost 30 GT race cars, each with around 550 horsepower, from Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche are providing maximum optical and acoustical joy. The battle for the 2022 DTM drivers’ championship has become a dramatic one. With 58 points still at stake during the season finale, DTM Hockenheim powered by AUDI, ten drivers still have mathematical chances of sealing the championship crown while five drivers with five different brands and from four different nationalities have the best possibilities. After an action-packed race weekend at Red Bull Ring, the top five in the standings are separated by only 16 points.
Points’ leader Sheldon van der Linde (23, South Africa) had to accept two non-scores with the Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 in Styria and is heading to Hockenheim for the title showdown with a margin over 28-year-old Austrian Lucas Auer (Mercedes-AMG Team WINWARD Racing / Mercedes-AMG) that has been reduced to eleven points. The Tyrolean, in turn, is closely followed by a three-time DTM champion in René Rast (Audi Sport Team ABT / Audi R8). The 35-year-old German is only one point down on Auer and just two points ahead of Porsche driver Thomas Preining (24, Austria, KÜS Team Bernhard) and another two points clear of 32-year-old Italian Mirko Bortolotti with the Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini. Playing it tactically makes no sense given this situation; only who is attacking from the very beginning has a chance to be on the top step in the end. Maximum suspense is therefore guaranteed!
