DTM: Schubert Motorsport claims team title in debut season – showdown in drivers’ championship on Sunday.

Hockenheim. In the penultimate race at the Hockenheimring (GER), Schubert Motorsport crowned a terrific debut season in the DTM by securing the team title with a race to go. Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) reached the podium on Saturday, finishing second after a spectacular chasing performance, while Philipp Eng (AUT) crossed the line in sixth. Schubert Motorsport is now on 211 points, with an unassailable lead in the team standings. A real showdown is on the cards in the drivers’ championship. Van der Linde moved on to 149 points to defend his lead but is now just two points ahead of Lucas Auer (AUT, Mercedes), the winner of Saturday’s race. Marco Wittmann (GER) finished third, also claiming a spot on the podium.

Van der Linde started the race from 16th position after the team incurred a ten-place grid penalty due to a rule infringement. However, there were some serious accidents during a tumultuous opening phase of the race. Luckily, no driver sustained any severe injuries and the South African was able to move swiftly up through the field. He continued to deliver superb speed after his pit stop, posting the fastest lap and finishing second to secure his place on the podium. This allowed him to stay just ahead of winning driver Auer in the drivers’ standings.

Wittmann also drove a good race in his Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, finishing third to join the podium celebrations for the second time this season. It looked like Eng’s day was over after a collision, but the red flags were shown to stop the race, allowing the Schubert mechanics time to repair the car in short order. Eng was able to rejoin the race and score some valuable points with a sixth-place finish.

Reactions to Saturday’s race in Hockenheim.

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “Congratulations to the Schubert Motorsport team on a fantastic performance throughout the DTM season. Victory in the team standings is just reward for the good preparation and consistently strong results from drivers, Sheldon van der Linde and Philipp Eng. That is a huge success for the team, and also for our BMW M4 GT3 in its first season. We are all very proud of that. Sheldon van der Linde kept his cool on Saturday, staying out of trouble to keep the drivers’ championship title fight wide open by finishing second. Now we will keep our fingers crossed for him in Sunday’s showdown.”

Torsten Schubert (Schubert Motorsport Team Principal): “I am unbelievably happy for the whole team that we were able to claim this team title. That is just reward for the hard work this year, not just from the crew at the racetrack but from everyone helping at home to make this success possible. We prepared ourselves as well as we could for the DTM and our drivers have done a great job in the races. I am delighted to see that this has all paid off.”

Sheldon van der Linde (#31 BMW M4 GT3, Schubert Motorsport): “This second place feels like a win for me. To be honest, I was pretty down after the penalty, but I was able to come back strong in the race to keep my title hopes alive in the drivers’ championship. Now we’ll celebrate with the team, as they have really earned the title win with all their hard work. It is impressive to see what they have achieved as DTM newcomers, then I will prepare myself for the final race.”

Philipp Eng (#25 BMW M4 GT3, Schubert Motorsport): “Firstly, I am delighted that no drivers were seriously hurt in those bad accidents today. Massive congratulations are in order for the whole Schubert team for producing a superb debut season in the DTM. I would also like to pay similar compliments to my mechanics for making the impossible possible by repairing the severe damage to my car during the race stoppage. It also speaks volumes for BMW M Motorsport and how well they have done with the BMW M4 GT3, which can be repaired so quickly, otherwise I would not have been able to continue today. Even Torsten Schubert, the Team Principal was helping to fix my car! That alone is reason enough for us to deserve the team title. Now I am keeping everything crossed for Sheldon tomorrow as he battles for the drivers’ title.”

Marco Wittmann (#11 BMW M4 GT3, Walkenhorst Motorsport): “After a tough time for the team and for me, I am very pleased with this result and our performance. From the word go this weekend, everything went much better than it had recently. I think we could also have been in with a shout of winning. So, that's what I’ll be aiming for in the season finale on Sunday. Congratulations to the Schubert team for a superb season and for winning the team title.”