BMW – Only one team and three champions, van der Linde: “I would say the benefits are very clear”

BMW’s reduced commitment in the DTM with Schubert’s team alone but three cars can be a double-edged sword. Sheldon van der Linde analyzed the situation in 2024.

Il team Schubert is certainly one of the most anticipated creations for the 2024 DTM seasonthanks also for his new promise and the third leg BMW M4 GT3 al via and confirmation by Renè Rast and Sheldon van der Linde. The Bavarian manufacturer has actually reduced its presence in the DTM from four to three cars, due to the bankruptcy of the Project 1 team that Marco Wittmann and Sandro Holzem competed against last year (in some races).

Both van der Linde and Rast have won in 2023 time Marco Wittmann worked hard, also complaining about different treatment from other BMW drivers. In addition in 2024 Schubert is the only team to have a series of three DTM champions.

Read also: DTM | List of participants – Drivers and teams that will compete for the title in the 2024 season

According to Sheldon van der Linde, DTM champion in 2022, despite having only one team representing BMW, there are advantages:

“The benefits are very clear”he told Sport365. “I believe that aWe have three champions in the team with a lot of experience in DTM and the advantage is that Marco can bring everything he learned last year in Project 1. Obviously there were positives from his car last year that he can now bring to the team and we can all benefit from that.

Read also: DTM | Oschersleben 2024 – Preview and times for the first weekend of the season

WEC experience with BMW and reduced DTM grid in 2024

The trio are also involved in BMW’s Hypercar program in the WEC, something to consider according to van der Linde:

“If you have another professional driver in the team, that is Additional comments from the driver you can take seriously and from that alone you definitely have more tools in the toolbox to work with the car and develop it into a setup. (Compared to endurance experience) We share less between drivers, so as a driver you are more influenced by your teammates. If you have two teammates obviously you have to beat them both, so in that situation I think as a driver you are more motivated.”

For the 2024 season ADAC had to deal with a reduction in the ranks of drivers for twenty cars. According to van der Linde, DTM has achieved excellence:

“I professional driversAll big names, who are also important for DTM, I think left over from last year“said Van der Linde. “I think so in terms of quality we have not lost anything. I think we have external teams with one car, for example. That makes the series stronger, in the sense that you have two cars, two professional drivers and that makes the championship stronger.”

Stay up to date with the world of Endurance by logging in special Telegram channel.

Follow your social: Telegram – TikTok – Instagram – Facebook – Twitter

*Cover photo, credit: Gruppe C Photography