There is Austrian involvement and tension galore as we enter the final sprint for the keenly contested DTM title. Lucas Auer in second place in the standings and Mirko Bortolotti, currently fourth, are the best placed Austrians to catch leader Sheldon van der Linde. The Red Bull Ring has not been a happy DTM hunting ground for Auer to date, however. “The results in the DTM have been modest so far. A victory would be fantastic, of course, but a spot on the podium would also make me very happy. If we have a good day, anything is possible. We definitely have to deliver in every race now if we still want to have a chance of winning the title,” the Austrian said in the opening press conference.
Norisring winner Thomas Preining, van der Linde’s team-mate Philipp Eng and Clemens Schmid will also all want to perform in front of their own fans at the Red Bull Ring. “A home win would be sensational. We don’t find things easy on this track, however. A little more torque would help us, but that’s what we thought in Spa, and we still came back with good results,” says an optimistic Thomas Preining, who will start this weekend with a special helmet design in honour of his former team boss Walter Lechner. And Philipp Eng added: “I’m always fighting for podiums and victories, even if the title is no longer within my reach. I haven’t seen the podium up close for a long time and I would like to change that at the weekend.”
It will also be a special weekend for the Grasser Racing team from the local Styria region. “We are looking forward to the absolute highlight of the season,” said an enthusiastic team principal, Gottfried Grasser. He is not feeling any extra pressure before the home race. “We have to prepare equally well for every race. Of course, a first DTM victory would be a dream come true, but we are working, first and foremost, on taking a good result. A pole position is possible, but it would be extremely tough to defend it,” says Grasser.
Taxi ride with Marcel Hirscher
If you want to be there to watch the motor racing in person, you can get your tickets here until Friday at 12:00 noon. From Friday to Sunday, the box offices are open from 08:00 a.m. There is another unique experience awaiting the fans: a once-in-a-lifetime race taxi ride will be drawn among the ticket holders. Austria’s ski hero Marcel Hirscher will personally drive an Audi R8 on Saturday and Sunday, while the lucky winners will be able to take a seat next to him as co-drivers.
Book a Service Road Tour & experience motorsport up close
For the first time, you can take part in an exclusive Service Road Tour and experience the cars revving their engines at the Red Bull Ring up close. You’ll be driven around the race track on the service road with a vehicle provided – offering a once in a lifetime experience usually reserved for professional photographers and a select few. Registrations can be made for the morning tours on particular dates and start times (start times on Saturday and Sunday: 08:45, 09:20, 09:50 and 10:45) via +43 3577 202 or information@redbullring.com.
All the information about the Service Road Tour can be found here.
