Reigning DTM champion Rene Rast says Audi’s decision to withdraw from the DTM after 2020 is the worst case scenario, expressing sorrow over the decision that directly impacts the championship he has been involved with for much of his career.
Audi announced on Monday that it would leave the championship after 2020 as part of a realignment of the Ingolstadt brand’s motorsport strategy. The decision was also influenced by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Rast was Audi’s lead driver in the championship, having won two out of the last three championships. The reigning DTM champion admits he knew about the decision before it was made public, but was still left reeling in its wake.
“A day like today is the worst case scenario for an active racing driver,” Rast said while streaming on Twitch. “But I will continue to do motorsport. I firmly believe in that. In what form, we’ll see.”
“It wasn’t a surprise for us. Of course there have been many discussions, rumours, and [with] the corona crisis it was foreseeable that something like this could happen. But even though you already knew it, now that it has happened it is a bit harder.
Monday’s announcement marks the second time in less than five years that Audi chose to pull out of a major sportscar racing series. In 2016, the Ingolstadt manufacturer pulled out of the FIA World Endurance Championship after having been a part of the series since its 2012 inception. Rast explained that he does see some parallels between events of 2016 and the current situation.
“I still remember when I got a call in the morning of my birthday in 2016 that the LMP1 project was going to end.”
Rast made his DTM debut with Audi in 2016, competing in three races before joining full-time in 2017. He won his first championship in his first full season, racing for Audi Sport Team Rosberg, with which he has remained ever since. He finished runner-up behind Gary Paffett in 2018 before taking a second title in dominant fashion in 2019.
“Of course, the withdrawal has a big impact for me because the DTM has always been part of my life,” Rast continued. “I spent many years in the DTM, not only drove in the DTM, but also in the paddock.”
Rast first entered the DTM paddock in 2003 when he raced in the Formula BMW single seater championship, which served as a support series to DTM at the time.
“That was 17 years ago and that’s when I was part of the DTM for the first time. And from that point on I always dreamed of racing in the DTM at some point. I would have liked to have won even more championship titles.”
“For me, the DTM has always been a series that, next to Formula 1, is the highest in terms of the drivers in the field. We didn’t have any pay drivers, everyone was at a top level, everyone was able to keep up with Formula 1 giants. I’m still a huge DTM fan, so it’s a difficult day for me.”
