R-Motorsport has announced that it is stepping down from the DTM after a single season.
The Swiss outfit competed in the 2019 season with four Aston Martin Vantage DTMs for Jake Dennis, Paul di Resta, Ferdinand von Habsburg and Daniel Juncadella but had a difficult and disappointing season, not scoring any podiums or top five finishes. The team announced late last year that it would split from engine supplier HWA, but is now ending its DTM programme entirely.
The withdrawal leaves just 14 cars on the grid at the present moment, unless Audi or BMW field additional privateer entries. It also marks the first time since 2011 that the DTM has had just two manufacturers on the grid.
Dr. Florian Kamelger, Team Principal, said: ”The reassessment of our motorsport program showed that we want to set new priorities for the future and that the DTM engagement would not be appropriate for us anymore. What we have decided regarding our 2020 motorsport programme we will announce at a later stage.
“However, I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you particularly to Gerhard Berger and the ITR, to Dieter Gass and to Jens Marquardt for the common engagement in DTM during our debut season. Especially BMW has been an extraordinary helpful partner for us.”