René Rast will leave Audi Sport

It's soon the end of an almost inseparable couple. René Rast will no longer be part of the Audi Sport fold after the last round of DTM, on the Hockenheimring on October 8 and 9. This therefore marks the end of a unique success story in motorsport, after twelve years of collaboration.

The German has been active in motorsport with the four-ring brand since 2011. Highlights of the early years were a championship title in the ADAC GT Masters (2014) and victories in the Spa 24 Hour races (2012), the Nürburgring (2014) and Daytona (2012 and 2016). In 2015, René Rast was also part of the Audi driver team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (7e). 

The German driver then discovered the DTM in 2016, first on an occasional basis then as a starter at Audi for the 2017 season. René Rast achieved the feat of winning the championship title during his very first DTM season. . Only six other pilots had achieved this feat before him. The following years proved that this first title was no coincidence: in the space of four years (2017, 2019 and 2020), Rast won the title three times with Audi Sport Team Rosberg. The three-time champion won 24 races in four years and 77 starts. After the end of Audi's involvement in the DTM, Rast took part in the Formula E for the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team, before returning to the DTM in 2022 with Team ABT this season.

“This decision was anything but easy for me” admits René Rast

“This decision was anything but easy for me, declared an emotional René Rast. Audi has been my life over the past few years. We worked fantastically together and celebrated many great successes. I will never forget these moments, nor the many great people who made my victories and championship titles possible. (…) But I still have some motorsport goals that I want to achieve. "That's why I have to say goodbye to Audi fans with a heavy heart after the end of the 2022 season."

“What René Rast has accomplished for Audi Sport, especially in DTM, is unique, said Oliver Hoffmann, board member for technical development at Audi. It is all the more painful that we have to let René go after so many years of success together. (…) René occupies an important place in the history of Audi Sport and he will always remain a friend of the Audi family. We wish him the best for his future. » Julius Seebach, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH and Head of Motorsport at Audi, added: “René Rast has long been underestimated. At Audi Sport he was able to show that he is one of the best racing drivers in the world. Above all, his exploits in DTM will always be closely associated with the four rings. »

If René Rast's post-Audi future has not yet been announced, it could be that the German quickly finds a seat in Formula E, with the new team McLaren.

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