Audi Sport will enter the new turbo era of the DTM with a proven driver squad. Loïc Duval (F/36), Robin Frijns (NL/27), Jamie Green (GB/36), Nico Müller (CH/26), René Rast (D/32) and Mike Rockenfeller (D/35) have been confirmed as drivers for the 2019 DTM season. The previous pairings with the three Audi Sport Teams Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg will remain unchanged as well. The new season will see the fielding of the more powerful turbo engine.
“There’ll be many exciting innovations in the DTM next year,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. “The more powerful engine will no doubt be the most significant one.” The first pre-season tests confirmed that at the wheel of the new Class One race cars the drivers’ performance is even more crucial than it used to be. That is why Audi is filling its six cockpits with drivers that have previous DTM experience and are able to handle the demands that have grown once again. “In Loïc, Robin, Jamie, Nico, René and Mike we already had an extremely strong driver squad in 2018 and are continuing this lineup in the new season. In my view, they’re the right six for Audi Sport. All of them have the potential to battle for the DTM title. Aside from that, they again proved to be extremely good team players last season.”
The Audi driver squad includes two former DTM Champions: Mike Rockenfeller (2013) and René Rast (2017). Four of the six Audi drivers have previously won DTM races. Combined, the Audi sextet’s track record reflects 32 victories, 26 pole positions and 42 fastest laps. 16 of the victories were achieved by Jamie Green. The team is bringing experience from 514 DTM races to the grid and has scored 2,573.5 points in the popular racing series to date.
Robin Frijns and Nico Müller are racing for Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline. Loïc Duval and Mike Rockenfeller form Audi Sport Team Phoenix, Jamie Green and René Rast Audi Sport Team Rosberg. “In the past, we changed the team compositions from time to time,” says Dieter Gass. “However, in the current pairings, the drivers complement each other perfectly so that we didn’t see any room for improvement in this respect.”
Audi’s customer team WRT will be fielding two additional Audi RS 5 DTM cars of the new generation. This team will announce its drivers at a later date.
The Audi drivers in the 2019 DTM
#28 Loïc Duval (F): * June 12, 1982 in Chartres (F); residence: Nyon (CH); married to Gaëlle, two sons (Hugo and Martin); height: 1.78 m; weight: 70 kg; Audi driver since 2012; 1st DTM race: 2017; DTM races: 38; pole positions: 1; victories: 0 (best result: 2nd place); fastest laps: 1; points: 76; DTM titles: 0.
#4 Robin Frijns (NL): * August 07, 1991 in Maastricht (NL); residence: Maastricht (NL); single; height: 1.71 m; weight: 63.5 kg; Audi driver since 2015; 1st DTM race: 2018; DTM races: 20; pole positions: 0; victories: 0 (best result: 2nd place); fastest laps: 1; points: 84; DTM titles: 0.
#53 Jamie Green (GB): * June 14, 1982 in Leicester (GB); residence: Leicester (GB); married to Ginny, one daughter (Georgiana), two sons (Zachary and William); height: 1.78 m; weight: 70 kg; Audi driver since 2013; 1st DTM race: 2005; DTM races: 177; pole positions: 13; victories: 16; fastest laps: 23; points: 934.5; DTM titles: 0.
#51 Nico Müller (CH): * February 25, 1992 in Thun (CH); residence: Bern (CH); single (partner Victoria); height: 1.85 m; weight: 73 kg; Audi driver since 2014; 1st DTM race: 2014; DTM races: 84; pole positions: 1; victories: 1; fastest laps: 4; points: 301; DTM titles: 0.
#33 René Rast (D): * October 26, 1986 in Minden (D); residence: Bregenz (A); single (partner Diana), one son (Liam); height: 1.79 m; weight: 64 kg; Audi driver since 2009; 1st DTM race: 2016; DTM races: 40; pole positions: 5; victories: 10; fastest laps: 5; points: 437; DTM titles: 1 (2017).
#99 Mike Rockenfeller (D): * October 31, 1983 in Neuwied (D); residence: Landschlacht (CH); married to Susanne, two sons (Phil and Paul); height: 1.75 m; weight: 68 kg; Audi driver since 2007; 1st DTM race: 2007; DTM races: 155; pole positions: 6; victories: 5; fastest laps: 8; points: 741; DTM titles: 1 (2013).
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