Categories: Cars

Mirko Bortolotti Wins 2024 DTM Championship as Schubert Motorsport Takes Team Title

The 2024 DTM season ended with Lamborghini driver Mirko Bortolotti winning the championship after finishing second in the final race at Hockenheim. Bortolotti’s closest rival, Kelvin van der Linde, struggled to finish in 12th place, which secured the title for Bortolotti. Luca Engstler won the race, with René Rast finishing third for Schubert Motorsport, helping the BMW team win the teams’ championship.

Rast’s third-place finish was key in Schubert Motorsport winning the title, their second since 2022. He started 11th on the grid and moved up to secure a spot on the podium. Throughout the season, Rast, Sheldon van der Linde, and Marco Wittmann achieved four wins and three other podium finishes for Schubert Motorsport.

The final weekend mirrored the ups and downs Schubert Motorsport and the BMW M drivers had faced all season. Qualifying issues persisted, but during the race, all three drivers managed strong recoveries. On Sunday, Rast climbed from 11th on the grid to finish third, Wittmann moved up from 19th to seventh, and van der Linde improved from 17th to ninth. In Saturday’s race, Rast gained nine positions to finish seventh, while Wittmann and van der Linde ended in ninth and eleventh, respectively.

Thomas Preining finished fourth in his Porsche, while Nicki Thiim, who was running strong for a possible podium, went off the track and finished fifth. Ricardo Feller held off Marco Wittmann in the final laps to take seventh, with Wittmann finishing eighth after starting from 19th. Sheldon van der Linde finished ninth, just ahead of Maro Engel in 10th. Kelvin van der Linde’s early struggles left him in 12th place, separated by the Ferrari of Thierry Vermeulen in 11th.

Mercedes faced challenges from a Balance of Performance adjustment made overnight, which left Engel starting 15th on the grid. Despite that, Mercedes won the manufacturers’ title, with Arjun Maini, Maximilian Paul, and Franck Perera also scoring points in the final race.

With Bortolotti winning the drivers’ title, Schubert Motorsport taking the teams’ title, and Mercedes securing the manufacturers’ championship, the 2024 DTM season ended with all three titles going to different teams.