DTM driver Lucas Auer and BMW have agreed to part ways in the DTM championship. The 26-year-old Auer, niece of former F1 driver Gerhard Berger, is an Austrian racing driver currently competing in DTM.
Written By Jonathon Harris, Edited By Umut Yelbaşı
In 2011, Auer won the JK Racing Asia series in his first year in open-wheel racing – his first big achievement in motorsport. His other career highlights include a 2nd place in the German Formula 3 Championship in 2012, 3rd place in the Toyota Racing Series in 2013 and 2019, and 2nd place in the Macau Grand Prix in 2014. He also had a stint with Mercedes in DTM from 2015 to 2018. In the December of 2018, it was announced that Lucas would join the Red Bull Junior Team for 2019. That year, he raced in the Super Formula Championship as a part of Motopark with his new Red Bull backing, finishing 9th in the championship. He also raced in various other GT categories throughout his career including ADAC GT Masters, International GT Open, Blancpain GT Endurance Championship, and the Intercontinental GT Challenge. So far, he has amassed a total of 23 wins over the 9 years he’s been racing. In 2020, Lucas raced with the BMW Team RMR in DTM. He achieved a win and 2 podiums which placed him 12th in the championship.
With the DTM championship moving away from class one rules in 2021, BMW’s commitment to the series seems unstable until its new M4 based challenger GT3 car gets finalized in September. BMW has already reduced its commitments in IMSA, where they will only participate in 4 races, and Formula E, which they are pulling out of at the end of 2021.
Auer has said that he and BMW have split on good terms. He has his sights set on fighting at the top of the DTM Championship this year and in the future. He was absent from the Rolex 24h of Daytona this year, and unfortunately lost out a full-time Formula E seat with BMW in Formula E to Jake Dennis.
There are still 8 seats remaining to be filled for DTM this year with 2 being taken by Red Bull backed drivers Alexander Albon and Liam Lawson in a Ferrari. The vacant seats are at ABT Sportsline with an Audi, 2 Seas Motorsport with a Mclaren, Jensen Team Rocket also with a Mclaren, Gruppe M Racing with a Mercedes, or Team Rosberg, which haven’t announced what car they will be using yet. Lucas Auer could choose to partner with Mercedes, who he raced for so long, or choose to make a fresh start with a new team which may be willing to offer a long-term contract.