Nick Cassidy makes his long-awaited DTM debut in the 2021 season finale at the Norisring.
Cassidy will drive the AlphaTauri-liveried Ferrari 488 GT3 alongside New Zealand compatriot Liam Lawson in two races this weekend.
Technically, Cassidy has raced in DTM before. He was a wildcard in the 2019 finale at Hockenheim in a Super GT Lexus.
He also won a leg of the DTM x Super GT Dream Race at Fuji Speedway.
However, he has not driven an ‘official’ DTM car in a DTM race.
He was signed at the start of the 2021 DTM season to share the car with Alex Albon.
Albon would drive most weekends and swap out with Cassidy on races that clashed with Formula 1 Grands Prix. Albon is the Red Bull F1 team’s reserve driver.
However, Albon went on a strong streak midway through the year, winning at the Nurburgring and surging into championship contention.
Red Bull opted to leave Albon in the car until he was no longer in the hunt for the title.
This weekend’s Norisring race coincides with the Turkish F1 Grand Prix, and Albon is fifth in the driver’s standings.
He is 76 points behind leader Lawson. A driver can only claim a maximum of 56 from a weekend.
This opened the perfect opportunity for Cassidy to get his DTM break.
He drove the current-iteration DTM car at a pre-season test earlier this year.