DTM: Audi announces withdrawal after 2020 season

Text & images: Rick Kiewiet

Shortly two months after R-Motorsports withdrawal, DTM faced another dark day as Audi announced it will withdraw from the series after this season.

In a statement released last Monday (read here) the Ingolstadt brand announced it's realigning its motorsport strategy with its way to become a provider of carbon-neutral mobility. It will fully concentrate on Formula E and customer racing.

What this means for the series after 2020 is vague. Clearly, this is a heavy, if not fatal blow to the series. BMW is the only manufacturer left so far. Their might be an opening for the DTM division of Audi Team WRT, as Audi remains committed to customer racing, but no news from that corner yet. The convergence between DTM and the Japanese Super GT championship, in which manufacturer teams of Honda, Nissan and Lexus are active, might be DTM's only hope for continuation after 2020. Other manufacturers will need to jump in quickly as time is short. Last years' struggle from Aston Martin proved that a DTM car is not easily developed, not even with the support of an experienced partner such as HWA.