Sheldon van der Linde Wins 2022 DTM Championship

Sheldon van der Linde is the new DTM champion after taking third place in the Hockenheim season finale in his Team Schubert BMW M4 GT3, enough to see off his closest title challengers Lucas Auer and Rene Rast.

Marco Wittmann took the race win in his Walkenhorst BMW, his 18th career DTM win, Wittmann the last BMW Champion in 2016 before this years win from van der Linde.

René Rast finished second in his last run in the ABT Audi. Lucas Auer, who was just two points down on van der Linde going into the race, finished seventh with the WINWARD Mercedes-AMG and secured runner-up spot in the drivers’ standings ahead of Rast as a result.

After on-track carnage in Saturday’s race just 19 of the original 26 cars would start today, the absentees included Felipe Fraga’s Ferrari that was damaged in Sunday Morning’ qualifying session that saw Rast take the pole and the slim title chances of Mirko Bortolotti evaporate with a poor qualifying position that saw the tile mathematics finally rule him out of the winning equation. Of the Saturday retirees, Thomas Preining, Dennis Olsen, Rolf Ineichen and David Schumacher were all released from hospital on Saturday evening following check-ups.

The freshly-crowned champion meanwhile was congratulated by many, including his brother Kelvin who took fifth place today in his Attempt Audi.

ITR Chairman (organisers of the DTM, Gerhard Berger said: “Congratulations to Sheldon van der Linde, who, with his consistent, impressive achievements is a worthy 2022 DTM champion. But at this stage also congratulations to runner-up Lucas Auer (Berger’s nephew), his team and Mercedes-AMG who were also battling for the title until the end in a fair way and with great manoeuvres. Sheldon and Lucas, like all the other DTM drivers, have delivered an outstanding, highly exciting season that has delighted us and all the many fans at the race tracks and in front of the screens. Congratulations also to Schubert Motorsport, the new teams’ champions, and to Audi as the new manufacturers’ champions. We had a great final race with perfect conditions and so unbelievably many fans at the race track, I am touched.”

“In 2016, I came from South Africa to Germany as a young lad to become a professional racing driver. That was my dream when I still was a kid. Now standing here as the DTM champion is just simply unbelievably,” a visibly moved Sheldon van der Linde said after the race. René Rast was satisfied, too: “I have always been in the top three, so on the podium, in each of my five seasons in DTM,” the three-time DTM champion said. Marco Wittmann’s verdict was similar: “Concluding a difficult season with a victory is just super good.”

Schubert Motorsport also took the teams title, this in their maiden DTM season with their two BMW works drivers Sheldon van der Linde and Philipp Eng.

“That is the reward for the hard work this year. I am glad that it has all paid off,” team principal Torsten Schubert commented.

Audi meanwhile took the manufacturers title

Sheldon van der Linde, Lucas Auer, René Rast: prior to the 16th and final race of the 2022 DTM, there was an entertaining three-way battle for the title. In qualifying, Mirko Bortolotti (ITA, GRT Lamborghini) had dropped out of the circle of the title contenders with 18th place on the grid. As Felipe Fraga (BRA, Red Bull AF Corse Ferrari) had crashed into the barriers, he gifted Rast his fourth pole position of the season and three valuable points. Fraga was missing on the starting grid of the decisive race, just like those involved in the accidents in the spectacular Saturday race including Thomas Preining, Dennis Olsen, Rolf Ineichen and David Schumacher, who all had been able to leave the hospital following examination in the evening.

Just like Rene last, sixth-placed Nico Müller too had his final race start with the Audi R8 as both drivers are leaving the Ingolstadt-based brand after many successful years. Moreover, Mercedes AMG factory driver Maximilian Buhk announced on Sunday morning that he would end his racing career at 29 years old.

With a strong performance, the youngest driver in the field at 19 years, Marius Zug with the Attempto Audi, finished fourth in the race. Austrian Clemens Schmid was running third for a long time with the GRT Lamborghini until a puncture blew his hopes of a podium result.

DTM – 2022 – Hockenheim – Race 2 – Result