Ahead of the forthcoming 2017 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season, Audi Sport have now decided their final driver and team line-ups for the nine race weekends that take place this year.
Former champions Mike Rockenfeller and Mattias Ekström remain at Team Phoenix and Abt Sportsline respectively, as does Jamie Green with Team Rosberg.
Switzerland’s Nico Müller partners Ekström at the Kempten-based outfit, who won the 2016 Teams Title ahead of BMW Team RMG.
René Rast, who showed impressive form at three races last season, will join Green at Rosberg, having raced for them whilst deputizing for the injured Adrien Tambay at Zandvoort. He will also drive in the same AUTO BILD livery that now-departed two-time champion Timo Scheider had been using, as well as opting for race number 33.
Ex-LMP1 ace Loïc Duval will team up with Rockenfeller, taking over the same colour scheme used as last year’s runner-up, Edoardo Mortara and will use race number 77 on his RS5 DTM.
“In Mattias Ekström at ABT, Jamie Green at Rosberg and Mike Rockenfeller at Phoenix, all three teams have their spearheads,” explained newly-appointed Head of Audi Sport, Dieter Gass.
“These team-driver combinations were very powerful in the past. Our youngster, Nico Müller, is following in Edoardo Mortara’s footsteps and our two new DTM signings, Loïc Duval and René Rast, are going to benefit from the experience of their teammates.”
The newi RS 5 DTM will make its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show on March 7th, and will take the track for the first time on the second DTM public test being held at Vallelunga in Italy from March 13th to 16th