Questions and answers about the new DTM season

What's up? The DTM starts its new season this weekend, the venue for the start is, as usual, the Hockenheimring. There are two races on the program on Saturday and Sunday (both at 13.30:XNUMX p.m.), nine more race weekends will follow - and the touring car series is saying goodbye to a driving force in installments: Mercedes, the most successful manufacturer, will leave the DTM after the season to focus on... Formula E. A replacement has not yet been found. Who wins? That's basically the beauty of the DTM: the outcome is hardly predictable. Not long ago there was the youngest overall winner in series history in Pascal Wehrlein (2015), and last year a 30-year-old rookie in Rene Rast was crowned overall winner. This year, Audi, BMW and Mercedes are sending a total of 18 drivers into the race, and no fewer than ten of them can be expected to win the title. Wehrlein (Mercedes) is not returning voluntarily after two years in Formula 1, Rast (Audi) wants to repeat his coup, Timo Glock (BMW) finally wants to confirm his good reputation with a title. What's new? The DTM has done a lot to please the fans better. At the end of last season, the controversial performance weights, which “punished” good performances and only ensured a balanced ranking, were abolished. For the new season, the aerodynamics in particular have been fine-tuned: the contact pressure of the highly developed cars has been reduced by around a third, meaning that the drivers are once again faced with significantly more demands, and closer duels on the track are also possible. Who is showing the races? The departure of long-time TV partner ARD became apparent last season and was one reason why the future of the DTM was doubted - but series boss Gerhard Berger conjured a strong alternative out of the hat. Sat.1 broadcasts every weekend and promises detailed and extensive reporting before and after the races. In addition, there are now uniform starting times; on Saturdays and Sundays it starts at 13.30:XNUMX p.m. Where are we going? The DTM has expanded its calendar to include a racing weekend and two traditional venues. The race tracks in Brands Hatch (August 11th to 12th) and Misano (August 24th to 26th) are new - the DTM will also be holding night races for the first time in Italy. As usual, the start of this weekend and the finale (October 12th to 14th) will be the races in Hockenheim. In addition to Hockenheim, the program from Germany also includes the races at the Lausitzring (May 18th to 20th), the Norisring (June 22nd to 24th) and the Nürburgring (September 7th to 9th). What is the future? This is still unclear. A replacement for Mercedes has not yet been found, and the hoped-for collaboration with Volkswagen will probably not materialize for the time being. “I still have a bit of confidence,” says Gerhard Berger, looking at the overall situation, but it is “a very difficult number, quite a struggle.” From 2019, the plan is to switch to four-cylinder turbo engines, with this so-called Class One engine. According to the regulations, cooperation with the Japanese Super GT would at least be technically possible. Perhaps Berger will initially plug the leak after Mercedes' exit with private teams.

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Questions and answers about the new DTM season

The DTM season is just around the corner. Here you will find the answers to the most important questions.

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