Surprised? Yeah, us too! There had been rumours that Aston Martin competing entering the DTM could happen in the future, but it was one of those things that you never really expected to come to fruition – especially not as soon as next year.
The British manufacturer will effectively replace Mercedes, which is withdrawing from the series at the end of 2018. Up to four DTM-spec Aston Martin Vantages will be developed by Mercedes’ customer outfit HWA in partnership with Swiss team AF Racing, which has fielded a couple of Aston Martin Vantages in the Blancpain GT Series under the R-Motorsport banner this year. We can’t wait to see what the DTM cars look like…
It seems like a fairly logical step as Aston Martin has a technical partnership with Mercedes-AMG. Which is of course why Aston Martin sponsors Mercedes’ rivals Red Bull in F1, in cars powered by Renault (soon to be Honda) power units. Perhaps it’s best not to think too hard about how all that works. Anyway…
With the DTM/Super GT rule-merging plans now firmly going ahead, Aston’s involvement further boosts the credibility of the series, which did look a little shaky when Mercedes decided to leave the championship. DTM boss Gerhard Berger certainly feels it’s important, saying:
“This decision of a luxury sports car manufacturer such as Aston Martin is a historic event for our series and a milestone in the international orientation of the DTM.”
He’s not joking – the last time a non-German manufacturer competed in the DTM was Alfa Romeo – back in 1996!
