Cassidy to Drive Albon’s AF Corse Ferrari at Norisring

Nick Cassidy will join AF Corse for the DTM season finale at the Norisring as Alex Albon concentrates on his F1 reserve and test driver commitments at the Turkish Grand Prix.

Cassidy is set for his first appearance of the 2021 DTM campaign after being named as a backup member of the Red Bull/AF Corse Ferrari lineup before the season started.

Albon’s role with the Red Bull Racing F1 team at the rescheduled Turkish Grand Prix overlaps with the Norisring DTM fixture which was also rearranged to a new date.

Cassidy drove full-time for Envision Virgin Racing in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship this year, taking two pole positions and two second-place results.

The New Zealander is set to support Red Bull AF Corse driver Liam Lawson who leads the DTM championship by 14 points with this weekend’s pair of Norisring races remaining.

Sports car racing rookie Albon is currently fifth in the standings having taken a race victory at the Nürburgring and podiums at Monza, Zolder and Hockenheim.

“It was a reality at the beginning of the season that the driving duties of the Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse car would be shared by Alex and Nick, this was because we could not predict how the changes in both [F1 and DTM] race calendars would affect our driver lineup,” said Red Bull Motorsport consultant Dr. Helmut Marko.

“It’s unfortunate that both Istanbul and Norisring races were changed during the season to create a conflict in the availability of Alex for the final race of the DTM season.

“It was not a decision taken lightly considering the commitment Alex has shown to DTM this season, but Alex’s duties in Istanbul will be required.

“We know Nick has been waiting for his opportunity to race the Ferrari and more importantly assist Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse and Liam to try and win both the teams and drivers championships at the Norisring this weekend.”

Cassidy is set for his first points-scoring DTM drive, although he did take part in the Class One exhibition races between Super GT and the German championship in 2019.

The 27-year-old has prior experience in Ferrari GT3 machinery, having driven for HubAuto Corsa in the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli.

“I’m really excited to be joining the team,” Cassidy said.

“It’s been great following Liam and Alex this season, they’ve just done a tremendous job so far. I’m looking forward to Norisring now.

“I really like the circuit, I’ve been racing there before in Formula 3.

“I feel like I’m a rookie with DTM but it should be quite exciting and I hope I can help the team secure the Team’s championship this season.”