TouringCars.Net continues to preview the forthcoming Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season and takes a look at some of the less experienced and entirely new faces joining the series in 2014.
The 2014 DTM season features four entirely new drivers, but as is often the case in the top tier of German motorsport, they have an already impressive set of CVs.
Two drivers join directly from the junior Formula ranks, with Nico Müller and António Félix da Costa stepping up from the Formula Renault 3.5 Series where they finished fifth and third last year respectively.
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Vitaly Petrov steps across from Formula One, where he raced between 2010 and 2012. Maxime Martin graduates from his role as the official BMW test driver and from the American Le Mans Series which he competed in last year.
Four of 2013 débutants continue this season, with BMW team MTEK’s 2013 drivers Marco Wittmann and Timo Glock continuing along with Mercedes’ young guns Daniel Juncadella and Pascal Wehrlein.
Marco Wittmann
| Seasons: 1 Starts: 10 Titles: 0 Wins: 0 Podiums: 1 Poles: 1 |
Marco Wittmann enjoyed the strongest début of any newcomer in 2013, finishing eighth overall in the championship and beating team-mate Timo Glock in the process. The 24-year-old former BMW test driver scored his first podium at the Red Bull Ring and his first pole position at Zandvoort in an impressive first year in the DTM. The two-time runner-up in the Formula 3 Euro Series will surely score his maiden victory in 2014, having threatened to do so in his début year. He moves to BMW Team RMG alongside fellow former development driver Maxime Martin in 2014. |
Timo Glock
| Seasons: 1 Starts: 10 Titles: 0 Wins: 1 Podiums: 2 Poles: 0 |
Former Formula One driver Timo Glock joined BMW for the start of the 2013 season after six seasons spent in the top tier of single seaters. The German scored a podium after just three races and, despite only finishing in the points twice all season, scored his maiden win at the season finale at the Hockenheimring to end the year ninth in the championship.Glock appeared to be increasingly comfortable in the series towards the end of last season and the newly-beared 32-year-old should go well in 2014. |
Daniel Juncadella
| Seasons: 1 Starts: 10 Titles: 0 Wins: 0 Podiums: 0 Poles: 0 |
Spaniard Daniel Juncadella continues with Mercedes-Benz for 2014, hoping to build on a 2013 season that showed flashes of promise. The 2012 Formula 3 Euro Series champion scored a best result of fourth last season, which he took with a solid drive at the Norisring.Juncadella might not have scored his first podium yet, but he has shown that he is able to string together consistent results, including qualifying reasonably well – something which plagued all of the Mercedes drivers in 2013. |
Pascal Wehrlein
| Seasons: 1 Starts: 10 Titles: 0 Wins: 0 Podiums: 0 Poles: 0 |
Young German Pascal Wehrlein had a quiet introduction to the DTM, scoring just three times in 2013 on his way to last overall in the championship. However the 2012 Formula 3 Euro Series runner-up will be hoping for more in his sophomore year in the series.The 19-year-old has an impressive racing CV for his age, winning the ADAC Formel Masters series in 2011 and finishing runner-up to Juncadella in F3 in 2012. The youngster struggled to adapt to the DTM in 2013 and, with Mercedes’ struggling the most of the three marques, failed to stand out from the crowd. |
Nico Müller
| Seasons: 0 Starts: 0 Titles: 0 Wins: 0 Podiums: 0 Poles: 0 |
Nico Müller joins the DTM from the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, where the Swiss racer finished fifth overall in 2013. The 22 year-old will race an Audi RS5 for Audi Sport Team Rosberg alongside experienced Brit Jamie Green.Müller took two wins in the single-seater category in 2013, and recently set the pace in the second day of the official ITR test at the Hungaroring. Müller is Audi’s only rookie for the the forthcoming season and should benefit from a wealth of experience at the manufacturer. |
António Félix da Costa
| Seasons: 0 Starts: 0 Titles: 0 Wins: 0 Podiums: 0 Poles: 0 |
António Félix da Costa lamost moved to Formula One for 2014, after the Portugese was widely tipped to move to the Scuderia Toro Rosso outfit to replace the outgoing Daniel Ricciardo. However when he was passed up in favour of Daniil Kvyat, da Costa moved to the DTM as his best option.The 22-year-old finished third overall in last season’s Formula Renault 3.5 Series, claiming a trio of wins in the process. Seen by many as one of the DTM’s most promising new talents, expect da Costa to push his more experienced team-mate Glock at BMW Team MTEK in 2014. |
Maxime Martin
| Seasons: 0 Starts: 0 Titles: 0 Wins: 0 Podiums: 0 Poles: 0 |
Belgian Maxime Martin spent 2013 racing in North America for BMW in the American Le Mans Series for BMW Team RLL. A GT racer by trade, Martin finished second for BMW in the legendary Nürburgring 24 Hour race in 2013, earning him a promotion from BMW test and development driver to race driver this year.Martin only began his motor racing career in 2005, with the 28-year-old the oldest of the DTM rookies in 2014. Nevertheless he has tasted victory in the Blancpain Endurance Series in 2012 and the ALMS in 2013. The Belgian will be one to watch in 2014. |
Vitaly Petrov
| Seasons: 0 Starts: 0 Titles: 0 Wins: 0 Podiums: 0 Poles: 0 |
The last driver to be announced for Mercedes in 2014, Russian Vitaly Petrov makes his return to racing in the DTM having sat out of racing in 2013 after losing his Formula One drive. He will become the first-ever Russian to race in the series, helping to tap into an important market for the three German premium car brands.Petrov enjoyed three seasons in F1 during which time he scored just one podium whilst driving for Renault in 2011. A difficult season with tail-enders Caterham in 2012 saw his single-seater career fizzle out somewhat and, after a year on the sidelines, Petrov will be looking to bounce back strongly in 2014. |