Big-name drivers for new Lamborghini team SSR Performance and Mercedes-AMG teams in the 2023 DTM

• Change of manufacturer: SSR Performance starts with three Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2
• Six high-class drivers at Mercedes-AMG teams
• Second DTM season for David Schumacher at Mercedes-AMG

Munich. With the 35th DTM season approaching fast, fans can already look forward to a high-class field, consisting of 13 teams with six different premium manufacturers. SSR Performance is one of the first teams to announce its line-up. The team from Munich goes in pursuit of success with three brand-new Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 and two works drivers. The Mercedes-AMG customer teams – Mercedes-AMG Team HRT, Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf, and Mercedes-AMG Team Winward – have also revealed their squad of drivers. All three outfits will each run two Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in the 2023 season, which kicks off from 26th to 28th May at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.

SSR Performance switches from Porsche to Lamborghini for its second season in the DTM. The 2020 ADAC GT Masters champions have secured the services of Lamborghini works drivers Mirko Bortolotti (33/I) and Franck Perera (38/F). 28-year-old Italian Alessio Deledda is also new to the team. “We are taking on our next challenge. I love a challenge and am all the happier with the new partnership with Lamborghini. Our line-up of Mirko Bortolotti, Franck Perera and Alessio Deledda is an excellent one. There is a lot of hard work to do over the coming weeks and months. We want to achieve success and score valuable points towards the championship from race one,” says Schlund.

Spearheading the Mercedes-AMG sextet in the DTM is last year’s runner-up Lucas Auer (28/A), who lines up alongside David Schumacher (21/D) for Mercedes-AMG Team Winward. Schumacher, son of former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher, will contest his second DTM season. Mercedes-AMG Team HRT is putting its faith in 27-year-old DTM race winner Luca Stolz from Germany. The second seat will be occupied by Arjun Maini: the 25-year-old became the first Indian to finish on the DTM podium in 2021, when he came home second at the Norisring. Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf, who won last year’s ADAC GT Masters with Raffaele Marciello (28/CH), is new to the championship. Experienced 37-year-old Maro Engel (D) and Mercedes-AMG Junior and DTM rookie Jusuf Owega (20/Cologne) will be at the wheel of the two Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in the team’s debut season.

“The DTM is not only a big name in German motorsport, but also one of the most competitive and well-known racing series in the world. It is also closely associated with the motorsport history of AMG and we have enjoyed some of our biggest successes as a manufacturer in the DTM. As such, it almost goes without saying that we will line up with our customer teams again this season. We are pleased that this iconic format can now continue under the direction of the ADAC, and are intrigued to see how the series develops this year,” says Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport.

As well as the first two races of the season in Oschersleben, TV partner ProSieben will also show the remaining 14 races – in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria – live and in full on free-to-air TV. The battle for grid positions in qualifying can also be followed live at ran.de. From this year, the DTM will use a sustainable Shell fuel, made of 50 percent renewable components, for the first time.