2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

The 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters was the thirty-fifth season of the premier German motor racing championship and also the twenty-second season under the moniker of Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters since the series' resumption in 2000.

The Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo of teams' champions Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse, pictured at the Hockenheimring in October

It was the first season of the DTM to be run under Group GT3 regulations, following the costly two-year "Class 1 Touring Cars" venture that led to Audi and BMW withdrawing manufacturer support from the series.[1][2][3][4][5]

Maximilian Götz won the drivers' championship in the last race, surrounded by a controversy due to a first-corner collision between his rivals Kelvin van der Linde and Liam Lawson, as well as team orders imposed by Mercedes-AMG in the closing laps.[6][7]

Rule changes

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Technical

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  • As a consequences of ruthlessly brutal raising costs, after two seasons raced under "Class 1" formula format, the series officially transitioned to FIA GT3 regulation, using its own Balance of Performance.[8] The move from Class 1 to GT3 attracted more manufacturers and teams that couldn't previously compete in the series due to high cost.[9] The Class 1 format cars and 2.0-litre (122 cubic inches) turbocharged inline-4 engines that were used in 2019 and 2020 were permanently retired.
  • After 10 seasons, Hankook terminated their tyre supplier contract with the DTM despite being under contract until 2023. On 1 March 2021, it was announced that Michelin was to provide tyres for the 2021 season.

Sporting

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  • For the first time since 2001, the series no longer utilises standing starts for the commencement of races. Instead the series introduced its so-called "DTM formation start" in a rolling double-file formation.[10]

Teams and drivers

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All teams competed with tyres supplied by Michelin.

Manufacturer Car Engine Team No. Driver Status Rounds Ref.
Audi Audi R8 LMS Evo Audi BXA 5.2 L V10
  Team Abt Sportsline[N 1]
Team Abt[N 1]
3   Kelvin van der Linde All [11][12][13]
9   Mike Rockenfeller All
37   Lucas di Grassi G 7–8 [14]
99   Sophia Flörsch J 1–3, 5–8 [15]
  Markus Winkelhock 4 [16]
  Team Rosberg 12   Dev Gore 1–3, 5–8 [11][17][18]
  Christopher Haase 4 [19]
51   Nico Müller All [11][17][18]
BMW BMW M6 GT3 BMW S63 4.4 L Twin Turbo V8   Walkenhorst Motorsport 11   Marco Wittmann All [11][20][21]
  ROWE Racing 16   Timo Glock All [11][22][23][24]
31   Sheldon van der Linde J All
Ferrari Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 Ferrari F154 3.9 L Twin Turbo V8
  AlphaTauri AF Corse[N 2]
Red Bull AF Corse[N 2]
23   Alex Albon 1–7 [11][25][26]
  Nick Cassidy 8 [27][28]
30   Liam Lawson J All [11][25][26]
Lamborghini Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo Lamborghini 5.2 L V10   T3 Motorsport 10   Esteban Muth J All [29]
26   Esmee Hawkey All [30]
63   Mirko Bortolotti G 6 [31]
71   Maximilian Paul G 5 [32]
McLaren McLaren 720S GT3 McLaren M840T 4.0 L Twin Turbo V8   JP Motorsport 15   Christian Klien G 3–4, 6 [11]
Mercedes-AMG Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8   Mercedes-AMG Team HRT 4   Maximilian Götz All [11][33][34]
5   Vincent Abril All
6   Hubert Haupt G 4, 7 [35]
  Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT 7   Luca Stolz G 4 [36]
  Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing 8   Daniel Juncadella All [11][37][38]
  Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport 18   Maximilian Buhk 1–6, 8 [39][40]
  Marvin Dienst 7 [41]
  Mercedes-AMG Team Winward 22   Lucas Auer All [11][42]
57   Philip Ellis All
  Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed 36   Arjun Maini All [11][43]
Porsche Porsche 911 GT3 R Porsche MA1.76/MDG.G 4.0 L Flat-6   SSR Performance 92   Michael Ammermüller G 4 [44]
Icon Status
J Junior
G Guest drivers ineligible for points

Manufacturer changes

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  • Mercedes-Benz returned to the series after two years of absence, but acted as a privateer manufacturer.
  • Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini joined the series for the first time, but acted as privateer manufacturers.
  • Audi and BMW remained in the series, but acted as privateer manufacturers.

Team changes

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  • Hong Kong sports car team GruppeM Racing joined the series for the first time by fielding a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo car.
  • Italian sports car team AF Corse joined the series with backing from Red Bull and AlphaTauri by fielding two Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 machines.
  • German sports car team Haupt Racing Team joined the series for the first time by fielding two Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo cars.
  • American sports car team HTP Winward Motorsport joined the series for the first time by fielding two Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo cars.
  • German sports car team ROWE Racing joined the series for the first time by fielding two BMW M6 GT3 cars.
  • Polish JP Motorsport joined the series for the first time by fielding a McLaren 720S GT3 car, but only as a guest participant at three rounds.
  • German sports car team T3 Motorsport joined the series for the first time by fielding two Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo cars.

Driver changes

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Entering DTM

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Former Red Bull Formula One driver Alex Albon and Formula 2 driver and Red Bull Junior Team member Liam Lawson entered the series with the Red Bull-backed AF Corse team. Lawson contested the full season combining it with an entry in the Formula 2 Championship, while Albon was scheduled to compete in selected races where they did not clash with Formula One Grand Prix weekends due to his commitments as Red Bull Racing's test and reserve driver. Eventually, Albon only missed the final round at the Norisring, where he was replaced by former Super Formula, Super GT, and current Formula E driver Nick Cassidy.[26][27]

Gary Paffett was set to come back to the DTM after a two-year absence driving for Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport, with Maximilian Buhk standing in for him in two rounds due to Formula E commitments.[39] He was eventually forced to abandon these plans because of the COVID-19 restrictions though, and Buhk saw out the season.[40]

Leaving DTM

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Robert Kubica left the series after one season.[45] Three times DTM champion René Rast left the championship for Formula E Audi full-time entry.[46]

Race calendar

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A preliminary nine-round, eighteen-race calendar was announced on 6 November 2020; four rounds were to be held in Germany, with the remaining five held across Europe.[47][48][49]

Igora Drive, Monza and the Norisring – all of which were scheduled to hold events in 2020, before their respective cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic – returned to the calendar, and the Red Bull Ring will hold a round for the first time since 2018. All circuits that held events in 2020 will return in 2021, with the exception of Spa-Francorchamps; Anderstorp and Brands Hatch will also not return, after their rounds were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Igora Drive was cancelled and DTM published a new calendar for the 2021 season. The inclusion of the Norisring round was uncertain as the season began in mid-June and it missed its traditional spot in early July, before it was re-added to the calendar to be held in October as the final round of the season.[50]

Round Circuit Location Race 1 Race 2
1   Autodromo Nazionale di Monza Monza, Lombardy 19 June 20 June
2   Lausitzring (GP Circuit with Banked Turn 1) Klettwitz, Brandenburg 24 July 25 July
3   Circuit Zolder Heusden-Zolder, Limburg 7 August 8 August
4   Nürburgring (Sprint Circuit) Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate 21 August 22 August
5   Red Bull Ring Spielberg, Styria 4 September 5 September
6   TT Circuit Assen Assen, Drenthe 18 September 19 September
7   Hockenheimring Hockenheim, Baden-Württemberg 2 October 3 October
8   Norisring Nuremberg, Bavaria 9 October 10 October
Sources:[47][48][49][50]

Results and standings

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Season summary

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Round Circuit Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Winning team Winning manufacturer Junior Winner
1 R1   Autodromo Nazionale di Monza   Vincent Abril   Liam Lawson   Liam Lawson   Red Bull AF Corse   Ferrari   Liam Lawson
R2   Kelvin van der Linde   Lucas Auer   Kelvin van der Linde   Team Abt Sportsline   Audi   Sheldon van der Linde
2 R1   Lausitzring
(GP Circuit with Banked Turn 1)
  Sheldon van der Linde   Sheldon van der Linde   Philip Ellis   Mercedes-AMG Team Winward   Mercedes-AMG   Liam Lawson
R2   Philip Ellis   Kelvin van der Linde   Maximilian Götz   Mercedes-AMG Team HRT   Mercedes-AMG   Liam Lawson
3 R1   Circuit Zolder   Kelvin van der Linde   Alex Albon   Kelvin van der Linde   Team Abt Sportsline   Audi   Esteban Muth
R2   Marco Wittmann   Nico Müller   Marco Wittmann   Walkenhorst Motorsport   BMW   Liam Lawson
4 R1   Nürburgring
(Sprint Circuit)
  Kelvin van der Linde   Kelvin van der Linde   Kelvin van der Linde   Team Abt Sportsline   Audi   Sheldon van der Linde
R2   Alex Albon   Christopher Haase   Alex Albon   AlphaTauri AF Corse   Ferrari   Esteban Muth
5 R1   Red Bull Ring   Liam Lawson   Esteban Muth   Liam Lawson   Red Bull AF Corse   Ferrari   Liam Lawson
R2   Marco Wittmann   Marco Wittmann   Liam Lawson   Red Bull AF Corse   Ferrari   Liam Lawson
6 R1   TT Circuit Assen   Liam Lawson   Mirko Bortolotti   Marco Wittmann   Walkenhorst Motorsport   BMW   Liam Lawson
R2   Lucas Auer   Mike Rockenfeller   Lucas Auer   Mercedes-AMG Team Winward   Mercedes-AMG   Liam Lawson
7 R1   Hockenheimring   Kelvin van der Linde   Alex Albon   Kelvin van der Linde   Team Abt Sportsline   Audi   Liam Lawson
R2   Kelvin van der Linde   Alex Albon   Lucas Auer   Mercedes-AMG Team Winward   Mercedes-AMG   Liam Lawson
8 R1   Norisring   Liam Lawson   Nico Müller   Maximilian Götz   Mercedes-AMG Team HRT   Mercedes-AMG   Liam Lawson
R2   Liam Lawson   Nick Cassidy   Maximilian Götz   Mercedes-AMG Team HRT   Mercedes-AMG   Sophia Flörsch

Scoring system

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Points were awarded to the top ten classified finishers as follows:

Race Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th 
Points 25 18 15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1

Additionally, the top three placed drivers in qualifying also received points:

Qualifying Position  1st   2nd   3rd 
Points 3 2 1

Drivers' championship

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Pos. Driver MNZ
 
LAU
 
ZOL
 
NÜR
 
RBR
 
ASS
 
HOC
 
NOR
 
Points
1   Maximilian Götz 23 10 Ret 13 72 2 4 4 22 3 43 6 5 3 1 1 230
2   Liam Lawson J 1 132 2 22 Ret 3 13 Ret 11 12 31 23 43 2 31 NC1 227
3   Kelvin van der Linde 4 11 42 3 11 8 11 Ret 5 6 12 4 11 101 42 172 208
4   Marco Wittmann 8 5 7 6 53 11 53 33 7 21 12 32 Ret 11 12 7 171
5   Lucas Auer 122 3 6 9 9 52 11 6 8 5 10 11 Ret2 12 63 2 152
6   Alex Albon 3 7 5 11 3 6 Ret 11 4 17 Ret 5 2 6 130
7   Philip Ellis Ret 6 1 41 8 16 22 Ret 3 4 7 12 7 4 10 10 129
8   Mike Rockenfeller 9 8 33 8 2 103 3 Ret 15 Ret 13 11 3 15 Ret 4 89
9   Daniel Juncadella 51 11 Ret 7 Ret 12 8 22 11 12 Ret Ret 6 5 7 5 77
10   Nico Müller 7 2 13 10 10 4 7 9 Ret 14 Ret 8 Ret 12 8 15 56
11   Sheldon van der Linde J 11 43 91 5 16 7 6 Ret Ret Ret3 6 Ret Ret Ret Ret 16 55
12   Arjun Maini 13 Ret Ret 12 Ret DNS 10 13 63 7 Ret 13 Ret 83 2 6 48
13   Esteban Muth J 10 9 8 Ret 6 9 14 5 14 13 8 10 8 Ret 11 Ret 41
14   Vincent Abril DSQ DSQ Ret 14 4 Ret 12 8 9 8 Ret 9 9 9 14 8 34
15   Maximilian Buhk 6 12 10 18 Ret 11 Ret Ret 12 9 Ret 15 9 3 28
16   Nick Cassidy 5 133 11
17   Timo Glock 16 Ret 11 13 11 17 19 7 10 10 Ret 14 10 14 Ret 11 9
18   Sophia Flörsch J 15 15 Ret 15 15 Ret 17 15 9 16 12 Ret 13 9 8
19   Marvin Dienst 11 7 6
20   Esmee Hawkey 14 16 Ret 16 13 13 17 11 16 16 11 Ret 14 16 Ret Ret 2
21   Christopher Haase Ret 10 1
22   Dev Gore Ret 14 12 17 14 15 Ret Ret DNS 17 16 17 16 14 0
23   Markus Winkelhock 16 14 0
Guest drivers ineligible to score points
  Mirko Bortolotti 2 7
  Christian Klien 12 14 15 12 5 Ret
  Luca Stolz 9 Ret
  Maximilian Paul 13 11
  Lucas di Grassi 15 Ret 15 12
  Hubert Haupt 18 Ret 13 13
  Michael Ammermüller Ret Ret
Pos. Driver MNZ
 
LAU
 
ZOL
 
NÜR
 
RBR
 
ASS
 
HOC
 
NOR
 
Points
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver Second place
Bronze Third place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

Bold – Pole
Italics – Fastest Lap
1 – 3 Points for Pole
2 – 2 Points for P2
3 – 1 Point for P3

Teams' championship

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Pos. Team Points
1   Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse 368
2   Team Abt Sportsline 296
3   Mercedes-AMG Team Winward 281
4   Mercedes-AMG Team HRT 262
5   Walkenhorst Motorsport 171
6   Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing 77
7   ROWE Racing 64
8   Team Rosberg 55
9   Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed 48
10   T3 Motorsport 43
11   Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport 34
12   Team Abt 8

Manufacturers' championship

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Only points scored by the top three drivers of a manufacturer in races count for the manufacturers' championship.

Pos. Manufacturer Points
1   Mercedes-AMG 617
2   Ferrari 368
3   Audi 359
4   BMW 235
5   Lamborghini 43

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Cars No. 3, No.9 and No. 37 entered as Team Abt Sportsline, car No. 99 entered as Team Abt.
  2. ^ a b Car No. 23 entered as AlphaTauri AF Corse, car No. 30 entered as Red Bull AF Corse. Both cars share a teams' championship entry as "Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse".

References

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  1. ^ "BMW Motorsport and the DTM: The End of an Era". www.bmw-motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  2. ^ "DTM future secured with support from Audi and BMW". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  3. ^ "DTM 2021: Full list of drivers, teams and manufacturers". www.msn.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Mercedes to support customer teams in DTM". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Aston Martin DTM entry announced for 2019". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Norisring DTM: Gotz wins title after Mercedes imposes team orders". Motorsport.com. 10 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Lawson hits out at "idiot" van der Linde after losing DTM title". Motorsport.com. 11 October 2021.
  8. ^ NWNAdmin. "What to watch for as the DTM's brave new era begins »". networthynewz.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "Berger targeting 20 cars, five manufacturers in DTM 2021". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  10. ^ Dagys, John. "Standing Starts Abandoned; Driver Aids Retained for GT3 Era – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Who is driving in the GT3-based DTM this year?". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  12. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (17 December 2020). "Abt to Maintain Series Presence with Audi GT3". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  13. ^ "Rockenfeller and van der Linde For 2021 DTM In Abt Audis". Dailysportscar. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  14. ^ "DTM-Sensation: Abt schenkt di Grassi Gaststarts zum Abschied". motorsport-magazin.com (in German). 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  15. ^ Haidinger, Sven (20 March 2021). "Ghiotto, Floersch set to race in DTM in 2021". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Winkelhock set to make DTM return at the Nurburgring". Motorsport.com. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  17. ^ a b Thukral, Rachit (23 December 2020). "Team Rosberg becomes second ex-Audi squad to confirm DTM stay". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  18. ^ a b Lloyd, Daniel (2 March 2021). "Mueller, Gore to Drive Rosberg Audis". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  19. ^ Thukral, Rachit (19 August 2021). "Haase to make DTM debut with Audi squad at Nürburgring". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
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  22. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (1 March 2021). "ROWE Confirms DTM Program with BMW". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  23. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (17 March 2021). "Van der Linde Maintains Series Presence with ROWE Drive". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  24. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (25 March 2021). "ROWE Confirms DTM Program with BMW". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Red Bulls DTM-Comeback mit Ferrari: Die Hintergründe von Bergers Coup". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  26. ^ a b c "F1 exile Alex Albon to compete in DTM with Red Bull backing". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  27. ^ a b Thukral, Rachit (2 February 2021). "Red Bull reveals DTM plans for Albon as Cassidy joins line-up". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  28. ^ Thukral, Rachit (6 October 2021). "Cassidy to replace Albon in DTM finale at Norisring". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  29. ^ "Lamborghini to be represented in DTM by T3 Motorsport". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Hawkey secures DTM move with Lamborghini squad". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  31. ^ "Bortolotti to Drive T3 Motorsport Lamborghini at Assen". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  32. ^ "DTM Red Bull Ring: Maximilian Paul gibt Debüt im T3-Lamborghini". motorsport-magazin.com (in German). 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  33. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (2 March 2021). "HRT Announces Two-Car Entry with Mercedes-AMG". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  34. ^ "Haupt-Mercedes: Chef gibt Comeback - und wer die DTM-Stammcockpits kriegt". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  35. ^ "Ex-Audi, Opel driver Haupt to make DTM comeback at 52". Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  36. ^ "Mercedes set to add ninth car for Nurburgring DTM races". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  37. ^ Dagys, John (24 November 2020). "GruppeM Commits to DTM with Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  38. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (22 March 2021). "Juncadella to Drive GruppeM Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  39. ^ a b Lloyd, Daniel (15 June 2021). "Buhk to Sub for Paffett at Two Rounds Due to Formula E Clashes". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  40. ^ a b "Paffett forced to abandon plans to return to DTM in 2021". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  41. ^ "Marvin Dienst steigt für Maximilian Buhk in Hockenheim ins Space Drive-Cockpit". motorsport-xl.de (in German). 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  42. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (8 March 2021). "Winward Joins with Mercedes-AMGs for Auer, Ellis". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  43. ^ "GetSpeeds Schlüssel zum Einstieg: Ex-Haas-Tester soll erster DTM-Inder werden". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  44. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (16 August 2021). "GT Masters Champions Enter Nürburgring with Porsche". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  45. ^ Watkins, Gary (28 January 2021). "Kubica rules out DTM return, will target full-time LMP2 move". Autosport. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  46. ^ Thukral, Rachit. "Rene Rast confirms he won't return to the DTM in 2021". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  47. ^ a b "More than just a race series: DTM as the core of a motorsport event platform with five pillars". Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. ITR e.V. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  48. ^ a b Thukral, Rachit (6 November 2020). "DTM opts for spec-GT3 cars from 2021". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  49. ^ a b "2021 DTM calendar confirmed with nine race weekends". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Group AB. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  50. ^ a b "Norisring to host 2021 DTM season finale in October". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
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