Audi, one of the most successful and illustrious manufacturers in DTM history, has announced that it is not extending its involvement in the German touring car championship after 2020.
The Ingolstadt manufacturer says it has made the decision to realign its motorsport program with its aim of becoming a provider of premium mobility with a carbon-neutral footprint. This realignment, paired with the economic impact brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, has fuelled the decision to abandon its DTM involvement.
Instead, the company says it is shifting its focus to customer racing and Formula E, where Audi has been present since 2014.
“Audi has shaped the DTM and the DTM has shaped Audi. This demonstrates what power lies in motorsport – technologically and emotionally,” says Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. “With this energy, we’re going to drive our transformation into a provider of sporty, sustainable electric mobility forward.
That’s why we’re also focusing our efforts on the race track and systematically competing for tomorrow’s ‘Vorsprung.’” Formula E offers a very attractive platform for this. To complement it, we’re investigating other progressive motorsport formats for the future.”
The decision brings to an end one of the most successful racing programs in recent history. During its time in DTM, Audi scored 23 championship titles, including 11 driver’s championships. It scored 114 victories and 345 podium finishes, as well as taking pole position a total of 106 times.
Audi enjoyed its most dominant DTM campaign yet in 2019, winning all three championships. The withdrawal leaves BMW as the only remaining manufacturer in the championship, as Aston Martin also ended its DTM program late last year.
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