The pre-European season testing merry go round is in full swing and several of the 2022 DTM field congregated at Portimão last week, an opportunity for the teams to try out the Algarve circuit ahead of their race there from 29 April to 1 May.
DTM newcomers Schubert Motorsport (BMW), Audi team Rosberg and the Mercedes-AMG Teams GruppeM, HRT and WINWARD all tested in Portugal.
The first official DTM test days will be held at Hockenheim on 5 and 6 April, the second will follow at Portimão on 26 and 27 April, immediately ahead of the season opener.
“The tests enabled me to make significant progress, I was able to get to know the team, the track and the car. With every kilometre, I get a better feeling of how a GT3 car has to be driven to be quick while the many hints from Lucas Auer and Maximilian Götz are really helpful,” DTM novice David Schumacher of the Mercedes-AMG Team WINWARD said.
Defending champion Maximilian Götz, who has switched from HRT to WINWARD for the new season, was delighted to be “finally sitting in thhe race car again”. The 36-year-old said: “With the incredibly close competition in DTM, the details are crucial. From that perspective, this test was good and important.”
WINWARD team principal Christian Hohenadel confirmed this: “We had very prolific test sessions at this attractive and equally demanding race track. With David, we have gone through the full programme. He has made good progress, the speed is definitely there.” The third driver of the Texan-German team, Austrian Lucas Auer, was on duty during this three-day test as well.
For Schubert Motorsport, it was the first test with the new BMW M4 GT3 in DTM configuration.
Both Philipp Eng and Sheldon van der Linde were out to drive. “It was positive from A to Z. For me, it is a new team, but I felt at ease right away. In terms of engineers and mechanics, we have a top-notch line-up. I am extremely happy,” said Eng, who is making his DTM comeback after a one-year absence.
Team manager Marcel Schmidt: “Sheldon and Philipp were sharing a car. It was a high-quality test, especially also concerning the procedures as these are somewhat different in DTM to what we are used to so far. When it rained on Thursday, we were positively surprised how strong the new BMW is in wet conditions.”
For Haupt Racing Team, the test at Portimão marked the start of their title defence. “Between them, the two drivers have racked up around 400 laps without any problems, but learned a lot in the process,” HRT’s managing director Uli Fritz reported. “There really is a lot of drive in the team and we performed well straight away,” said newcomer Luca Stolz. His new teammate Arjun Maini, who made his DTM debut in 2021, added: “I am very happy in the HRT team. This was a really good start.”
GruppeM Racing took part in the test with a single Mercedes-AMG for its two new drivers Maro Engel and Mikaël Grenier. “Testing with the team for DTM this early was super. It was a prolific test with many laps and a comprehensive programme,” Engel said. DTM rookie Grenier: “I am very happy with the way the first test with the team went. There is still a lot to learn for me, but we have a strong basis and we will consequently stick to our plan.”
Team Rosberg had dispatched an Audi R8 LMS evo 2 to Portugal as well, with Swiss Nico Müller, who celebrated his 30th birthday at the track on Friday, and American Dev Gore sharing driving duties. “Across the four days, we have racked up good initial mileage with the new R8 LMS evo 2. Some steps have been made, the difference is noticeable. These experiences were important for me and for Dev,” Nico Müller reported.
Meanwhile, Maximilian Buhk was testing last week at Paul Ricard. The 29-year-old from the Mücke Motorsport team carried out extensive test runs with Schaeffler-Paravan’s Mercedes-AMG test car, featuring the electronic Space Drive steering that operates without a mechanical steering column. Buhk will again be using this steering system in the 2022 DTM.
