The 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters was the thirty-fifth season of the premier German motor racing championship and also the twenty-second season under the moniker of Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters since the series' resumption in 2000.
It was the first season of the DTM to be run under Group GT3 regulations, following the costly two-year "Class 1 Touring Cars" venture that led to Audi and BMW withdrawing manufacturer support from the series.[1][2][3][4][5]
Maximilian Götz won the drivers' championship in the last race, surrounded by a controversy due to a first-corner collision between his rivals Kelvin van der Linde and Liam Lawson, as well as team orders imposed by Mercedes-AMG in the closing laps.[6][7]
Rule changes
editTechnical
edit- As a consequence of ruthlessly brutal raising costs, after two seasons raced under "Class 1" formula format, the series officially transitioned to FIA GT3 regulation, using its own Balance of Performance.[8] The move from Class 1 to GT3 attracted more manufacturers and teams that couldn't previously compete in the series due to high cost.[9] The Class 1 format cars and 2.0-litre (122 cubic inches) turbocharged inline-4 engines that were used in 2019 and 2020 were permanently retired.
- After 10 seasons, Hankook terminated their tyre supplier contract with the DTM despite being under contract until 2023. On 1 March 2021, it was announced that Michelin was to provide tyres for the 2021 season.
Sporting
editTeams and drivers
editAll teams competed with tyres supplied by Michelin.
Manufacturer changes
edit- Mercedes-Benz returned to the series after two years of absence, but acted as a privateer manufacturer.
- Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini joined the series for the first time, but acted as privateer manufacturers.
- Audi and BMW remained in the series, but acted as privateer manufacturers.
Team changes
edit- Hong Kong sports car team GruppeM Racing joined the series for the first time by fielding a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo car.
- Italian sports car team AF Corse joined the series with backing from Red Bull and AlphaTauri by fielding two Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 machines.
- German sports car team Haupt Racing Team joined the series for the first time by fielding two Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo cars.
- American sports car team HTP Winward Motorsport joined the series for the first time by fielding two Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo cars.
- German sports car team ROWE Racing joined the series for the first time by fielding two BMW M6 GT3 cars.
- Polish JP Motorsport joined the series for the first time by fielding a McLaren 720S GT3 car, but only as a guest participant at three rounds.
- German sports car team T3 Motorsport joined the series for the first time by fielding two Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo cars.
Driver changes
editThis section needs to be updated.(June 2021) |
Entering DTM
editFormer Red Bull Formula One driver Alex Albon and Formula 2 driver and Red Bull Junior Team member Liam Lawson entered the series with the Red Bull-backed AF Corse team. Lawson contested the full season combining it with an entry in the Formula 2 Championship, while Albon was scheduled to compete in selected races where they did not clash with Formula One Grand Prix weekends due to his commitments as Red Bull Racing's test and reserve driver. Eventually, Albon only missed the final round at the Norisring, where he was replaced by former Super Formula, Super GT, and current Formula E driver Nick Cassidy.[26][27]
Gary Paffett was set to come back to the DTM after a two-year absence driving for Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport, with Maximilian Buhk standing in for him in two rounds due to Formula E commitments.[39] He was eventually forced to abandon these plans because of the COVID-19 restrictions though, and Buhk saw out the season.[40]
Leaving DTM
editRobert Kubica left the series after one season.[45] Three times DTM champion René Rast left the championship for Formula E Audi full-time entry.[46]
Race calendar
editA preliminary nine-round, eighteen-race calendar was announced on 6 November 2020; four rounds were to be held in Germany, with the remaining five held across Europe.[47][48][49]
Igora Drive, Monza and the Norisring – all of which were scheduled to hold events in 2020, before their respective cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic – returned to the calendar, and the Red Bull Ring will hold a round for the first time since 2018. All circuits that held events in 2020 will return in 2021, with the exception of Spa-Francorchamps; Anderstorp and Brands Hatch will also not return, after their rounds were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Igora Drive was cancelled and DTM published a new calendar for the 2021 season. The inclusion of the Norisring round was uncertain as the season began in mid-June and it missed its traditional spot in early July, before it was re-added to the calendar to be held in October as the final round of the season.[50]
Round | Circuit | Location | Race 1 | Race 2 |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Monza, Lombardy | 19 June | 20 June |
2 | Lausitzring (GP Circuit with Banked Turn 1) | Klettwitz, Brandenburg | 24 July | 25 July |
3 | Circuit Zolder | Heusden-Zolder, Limburg | 7 August | 8 August |
4 | Nürburgring (Sprint Circuit) | Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate | 21 August | 22 August |
5 | Red Bull Ring | Spielberg, Styria | 4 September | 5 September |
6 | TT Circuit Assen | Assen, Drenthe | 18 September | 19 September |
7 | Hockenheimring | Hockenheim, Baden-Württemberg | 2 October | 3 October |
8 | Norisring | Nuremberg, Bavaria | 9 October | 10 October |
Sources:[47][48][49][50] |
Results and standings
editSeason summary
editRound | Circuit | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | Winning manufacturer | Junior Winner | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | R1 | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Vincent Abril | Liam Lawson | Liam Lawson | Red Bull AF Corse | Ferrari | Liam Lawson |
R2 | Kelvin van der Linde | Lucas Auer | Kelvin van der Linde | Team Abt Sportsline | Audi | Sheldon van der Linde | ||
2 | R1 | Lausitzring (GP Circuit with Banked Turn 1) |
Sheldon van der Linde | Sheldon van der Linde | Philip Ellis | Mercedes-AMG Team Winward | Mercedes-AMG | Liam Lawson |
R2 | Philip Ellis | Kelvin van der Linde | Maximilian Götz | Mercedes-AMG Team HRT | Mercedes-AMG | Liam Lawson | ||
3 | R1 | Circuit Zolder | Kelvin van der Linde | Alex Albon | Kelvin van der Linde | Team Abt Sportsline | Audi | Esteban Muth |
R2 | Marco Wittmann | Nico Müller | Marco Wittmann | Walkenhorst Motorsport | BMW | Liam Lawson | ||
4 | R1 | Nürburgring (Sprint Circuit) |
Kelvin van der Linde | Kelvin van der Linde | Kelvin van der Linde | Team Abt Sportsline | Audi | Sheldon van der Linde |
R2 | Alex Albon | Christopher Haase | Alex Albon | AlphaTauri AF Corse | Ferrari | Esteban Muth | ||
5 | R1 | Red Bull Ring | Liam Lawson | Esteban Muth | Liam Lawson | Red Bull AF Corse | Ferrari | Liam Lawson |
R2 | Marco Wittmann | Marco Wittmann | Liam Lawson | Red Bull AF Corse | Ferrari | Liam Lawson | ||
6 | R1 | TT Circuit Assen | Liam Lawson | Mirko Bortolotti | Marco Wittmann | Walkenhorst Motorsport | BMW | Liam Lawson |
R2 | Lucas Auer | Mike Rockenfeller | Lucas Auer | Mercedes-AMG Team Winward | Mercedes-AMG | Liam Lawson | ||
7 | R1 | Hockenheimring | Kelvin van der Linde | Alex Albon | Kelvin van der Linde | Team Abt Sportsline | Audi | Liam Lawson |
R2 | Kelvin van der Linde | Alex Albon | Lucas Auer | Mercedes-AMG Team Winward | Mercedes-AMG | Liam Lawson | ||
8 | R1 | Norisring | Liam Lawson | Nico Müller | Maximilian Götz | Mercedes-AMG Team HRT | Mercedes-AMG | Liam Lawson |
R2 | Liam Lawson | Nick Cassidy | Maximilian Götz | Mercedes-AMG Team HRT | Mercedes-AMG | Sophia Flörsch |
Scoring system
editPoints were awarded to the top ten classified finishers as follows:
Race Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Additionally, the top three placed drivers in qualifying also received points:
Qualifying Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
---|---|---|---|
Points | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Drivers' championship
edit
|
Bold – Pole |
Teams' championship
editPos. | Team | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse | 368 |
2 | Team Abt Sportsline | 296 |
3 | Mercedes-AMG Team Winward | 281 |
4 | Mercedes-AMG Team HRT | 262 |
5 | Walkenhorst Motorsport | 171 |
6 | Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing | 77 |
7 | ROWE Racing | 64 |
8 | Team Rosberg | 55 |
9 | Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed | 48 |
10 | T3 Motorsport | 43 |
11 | Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport | 34 |
12 | Team Abt | 8 |
Manufacturers' championship
editOnly points scored by the top three drivers of a manufacturer in races count for the manufacturers' championship.
Pos. | Manufacturer | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Mercedes-AMG | 617 |
2 | Ferrari | 368 |
3 | Audi | 359 |
4 | BMW | 235 |
5 | Lamborghini | 43 |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "BMW Motorsport and the DTM: The End of an Era". www.bmw-motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "DTM future secured with support from Audi and BMW". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "DTM 2021: Full list of drivers, teams and manufacturers". www.msn.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Mercedes to support customer teams in DTM". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Aston Martin DTM entry announced for 2019". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Norisring DTM: Gotz wins title after Mercedes imposes team orders". Motorsport.com. 10 October 2021.
- ^ "Lawson hits out at "idiot" van der Linde after losing DTM title". Motorsport.com. 11 October 2021.
- ^ NWNAdmin. "What to watch for as the DTM's brave new era begins »". networthynewz.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Berger targeting 20 cars, five manufacturers in DTM 2021". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ Dagys, John. "Standing Starts Abandoned; Driver Aids Retained for GT3 Era – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Who is driving in the GT3-based DTM this year?". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (17 December 2020). "Abt to Maintain Series Presence with Audi GT3". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ "Rockenfeller and van der Linde For 2021 DTM In Abt Audis". Dailysportscar. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "DTM-Sensation: Abt schenkt di Grassi Gaststarts zum Abschied". motorsport-magazin.com (in German). 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ Haidinger, Sven (20 March 2021). "Ghiotto, Floersch set to race in DTM in 2021". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "Winkelhock set to make DTM return at the Nurburgring". Motorsport.com. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ a b Thukral, Rachit (23 December 2020). "Team Rosberg becomes second ex-Audi squad to confirm DTM stay". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ a b Lloyd, Daniel (2 March 2021). "Mueller, Gore to Drive Rosberg Audis". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit (19 August 2021). "Haase to make DTM debut with Audi squad at Nürburgring". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ "DTM 2021: BMW von Walkenhorst Motorsport bestätigt". motorsport-magazin.com (in German). 16 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ "Offiziell: Marco Wittmann startet 2021 im Walkenhorst-BMW in der DTM". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (1 March 2021). "ROWE Confirms DTM Program with BMW". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (17 March 2021). "Van der Linde Maintains Series Presence with ROWE Drive". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (25 March 2021). "ROWE Confirms DTM Program with BMW". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Red Bulls DTM-Comeback mit Ferrari: Die Hintergründe von Bergers Coup". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- ^ a b c "F1 exile Alex Albon to compete in DTM with Red Bull backing". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ a b Thukral, Rachit (2 February 2021). "Red Bull reveals DTM plans for Albon as Cassidy joins line-up". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit (6 October 2021). "Cassidy to replace Albon in DTM finale at Norisring". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Lamborghini to be represented in DTM by T3 Motorsport". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ "Hawkey secures DTM move with Lamborghini squad". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- ^ "Bortolotti to Drive T3 Motorsport Lamborghini at Assen". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
- ^ "DTM Red Bull Ring: Maximilian Paul gibt Debüt im T3-Lamborghini". motorsport-magazin.com (in German). 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (2 March 2021). "HRT Announces Two-Car Entry with Mercedes-AMG". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ "Haupt-Mercedes: Chef gibt Comeback - und wer die DTM-Stammcockpits kriegt". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Ex-Audi, Opel driver Haupt to make DTM comeback at 52". Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ "Mercedes set to add ninth car for Nurburgring DTM races". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ Dagys, John (24 November 2020). "GruppeM Commits to DTM with Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (22 March 2021). "Juncadella to Drive GruppeM Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ a b Lloyd, Daniel (15 June 2021). "Buhk to Sub for Paffett at Two Rounds Due to Formula E Clashes". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Paffett forced to abandon plans to return to DTM in 2021". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ "Marvin Dienst steigt für Maximilian Buhk in Hockenheim ins Space Drive-Cockpit". motorsport-xl.de (in German). 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (8 March 2021). "Winward Joins with Mercedes-AMGs for Auer, Ellis". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ "GetSpeeds Schlüssel zum Einstieg: Ex-Haas-Tester soll erster DTM-Inder werden". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (16 August 2021). "GT Masters Champions Enter Nürburgring with Porsche". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ Watkins, Gary (28 January 2021). "Kubica rules out DTM return, will target full-time LMP2 move". Autosport. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit. "Rene Rast confirms he won't return to the DTM in 2021". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ a b "More than just a race series: DTM as the core of a motorsport event platform with five pillars". Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. ITR e.V. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ a b Thukral, Rachit (6 November 2020). "DTM opts for spec-GT3 cars from 2021". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ a b "2021 DTM calendar confirmed with nine race weekends". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Group AB. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Norisring to host 2021 DTM season finale in October". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
External links
edit- The official website of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (in German and English)