WRT has expanded its DTM campaign for 2020, adding a third Audi RS5 DTM for Austrian Ferdinand von Habsburg, taking the number of Audis on the grid to nine.
Von Habsburg made his DTM début in 2019, racing an Aston Martin Vantage for R Motorsport. But the withdrawal of the Swiss outfit meant the 22-year-old had to look elsewhere for a drive.
The move has in part been made to lessen the blow by R Motorsport’s sudden withdrawal, with von Habsburg taking to the wheel of Audi’s test car, which had been raced by guest drivers at selected events in 2019.
Von Habsburg joins Ed Jones and Fabio Scherer in the Belgian team for the coming season. The Austrian scored a best finish of ninth in 2019. He has previously raced in the FIA Formula 3 European series in 2017 and 2018, and was the EuroFormula Open runner-up in 2016.
“We are delighted to add a third car to our line-up,” said Team Principal Vincent Vosse. “As the opportunity arose, we seized immediately.
“It was in Macau in 2017 when I first noticed Ferdinand; that day, he performed a superb race, fighting for victory until the last corner.
“I was impressed, and we had contacts in the recent past. He is a talented, fast and bright driver and I like very much his approach to racing.
“I am sure he will be a valuable addition to the team, also because he has a full year of experience in the DTM.
“Together with Ed and Fabio, he forms a trio of young guns that match perfectly the ambitions of WRT Team Audi Sport.”
Habsburg finished last of all of the full-season drivers in 2019, but despite that he believes he performed well in his début DTM season.
“They say that if you live your dream it’ll never be as good as you imagined, but DTM definitely did not disappoint,” said von Habsburg. “I feel like I did a good job last year and ended the season in a strong position, so I was determined to come back and continue what I have started.
“The Audi RS 5 DTM was seriously impressive last year and I can’t wait to drive it – to have such a prestigious and respected team as WRT behind me gives me confidence that this could be my best season yet.
“Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to get me to this point – let’s do this together.”