European Formula 3 Championship leader Antonio Giovinazzi will make his début in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) for Audi in Moscow, acting as a last-minute replacement for the banned Timo Scheider.
Italian Giovinazzi has previously tested one of the manufacturers’ RS5 DTM cars at the Lausitzring in June, and was also involved in an evaluation of young drivers by Audi at the end of 2014.
The 21-year-old has been racing in Euro F3 since 2013, making steady progress to finish 17th in his first season, before finishing sixth overall in 2014. He currently leads the 2015 season, having claimed an impressive run of nine podiums in a row in the first nine races, including two victories. He has recently claimed another run of seven podiums in a row and taken his season win tally to five.
Giovinazzi will become the second-youngest driver on the grid, being just two weeks older than BMW’s Tom Blomqvist and just over a year older than the youngest driver Pascal Wehrlein.
Timo Scheider was earlier this week handed a one-event ban as a result of pushing out Mercedes drivers Robert Wickens and Wehrlein in Austria.