DTM has been criticised as being “too expensive” for privateer teams following the departure of R-Motorsport after only one season.
R-Motorsport was one of two privateer teams to have contested the 2019 championship season. But after a being comfortably outclassed by all factory teams, R-Motorsport has opted to pull out of the sport.
Mercedes-Benz affiliated team HWA tied up with R-Motorsport to run four privately-run Aston Martin Vantages at an estimated cost of €20 million. In relation, the factory Audi team supposedly spent €80 million last season.
The team finished last in the constructor’s championship, over 400 points behind the title-winning factory Audi’s and with a best race finish of 7th.
“I would say that the DTM is too expensive for a private initiative, for a private team, if you don’t have factory support,” HWA boss Ulrich Fritz told autosport.com.
“But whether in the end it’s too expensive for a manufacturer or just right, that’s up to the manufacturer.
“The question is: What is expensive? DTM is professional motorsport at the very highest level, and you are racing against two premium manufacturers from Germany [Audi and BM], who don’t give each other a break.
“It’s simply all a question of proportionality.”
Consequent of R-Motorsport’s exit, fellow privateer squad WRT now becomes the only private team to be on the grid for 2020. Uniting with Formula 2 powerhouse ART, the team will pilot a sole BMW M4 driven by ex-Formula One driver Robert Kubica.
The 2020 DTM season kicks off at Zolder on April 25-26, with 16 cars expected to line up on the grid.
