BMW Motorsport has not yet defined René Rast’s program for 2023, but the German already acts as a driver for the Munich brand for all purposes. For this reason, the German pilot wanted to take a look at the past.
René Rast has started a new stage. After twelve years as an official Audi Sport driver, the German will compete in 2023 for BMW and McLaren. With the former he will have a program in endurance and in some GT3 category, while with the latter he will fight for the Formula E title. In all these disciplines and categories he has competed with Audi in the past, something that Rast does not forget.
The three-time DTM champion has given everything for Audi and has been the most outstanding pilot of the brand for years. This circumstance and the ‘coitus interruptus’ of the LMDh program of the Ingolstadt brand has meant that Audi has not put any problem in the departure of its great star and even has allowed Rast to test the BMW M Hybrid V8 when he still had a valid contract.
“I have always really enjoyed working with everyone at Audi. […] I am grateful for what Audi has done for me.”
A detail that the 35-year-old pilot also values and demonstrates in his words: «I am the driver I am now thanks to Audi Sport. They provided me with the car and the teams to win championships, especially the three DTM titles. We also managed to win other great races like Daytona -2012-, Spa -2012 and 2014- and Nürburgring -2014- together.”
“I have always really enjoyed working with everyone at Audi.. In the factory and with the different teams. I can only be very grateful for these twelve years. It has been a great stage. I would have loved to put a fourth DTM title on my resume, but it just didn’t happen. That doesn’t stop me from being grateful for what Audi has done for me.Rene Rast added.
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The emotion of parting
In relation to the closing of the DTM, his last event as an Audi driver, René Rast has been very sincere: «It was a very emotional weekend.. There were many difficult moments when I couldn’t get rid of the idea of saying goodbye, especially in the last qualifying and when I got in the car for the last race. I had to fight with emotions many times».
However, the stage with Audi is left behind and now it remains to be seen what his first program with BMW will besince there are no doubts about his involvement with McLaren in Formula E. The clashes of dates that may exist between some championships will mark René Rast’s first campaign with BMW, since no option is ruled out.
What will your program be?
Looking exclusively at your relationship with BMW, the first option is to combine a partial program at IMSA as a ‘wild card’ driver in the Michelin Endurance Cup events – Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans – to complement BMW’s base line-ups with a GT3 program in Europeeither in the GTWC Europe or in the DTM.
The other tangible possibility is that compete in the GT3 championship that best fits the clash of dates with Formula E while working on the BMW European project in the LMDh category, spearheading the brand’s team in the WECalthough in that case he will not compete in the World Endurance Championship until 2024.
Font: autosport
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Photos: DTM