Fraga, Cassidy to Drive Red Bull AF Corse Ferraris

Felipe Fraga and Nick Cassidy have been named as the new driver pairing for Red Bull and AF Corse’s joint program in the DTM with two Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020s.

Fraga will make his series debut driving the No. 74 Red Bull-liveried Ferrari, while Cassidy receives a multi-race opportunity in the No. 37 car sporting AlphaTauri colors after competing in one round last year as part of his reserve driver role.

Their signings mark a wholesale change in the Red Bull AF Corse lineup for the partnership’s second term in the DTM, after Liam Lawson and Alex Albon drove last year.

The 2017 Super GT champion is set to balance his first full season in the DTM with confirmed drives in the FIA World Endurance Championship and Formula E.

He will miss two of the DTM rounds due to clashes in his busy schedule. The team has stated that these will be the events at Portimao and the Norisring, which overlap with the Formula E races in Monaco and Vancouver.

There is also a clash between the DTM round at Spa and the WEC 6 Hours of Fuji.

Fraga, meanwhile, is set for his maiden DTM campaign. The Brazilian, who is backed by Red Bull, has driven GT cars from other manufacturers such as Mercedes-AMG and Aston Martin in recent years but has never competed behind the wheel of a Ferrari.

The versatile Brazilian has also driven LMP3 machinery and took a class win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January, driving for Riley Motorsports. 

“I am really very happy to be allowed to drive here,” said Fraga.

“It is a big chance for me, even the biggest of my career so far, and I intend to do it well.

“I can’t predict any results, but I am here because I want to compete for victories and I know that we can do it with Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse, like last year. So, why not again this season?”

Cassidy added: “I am really delighted to be in DTM again. As a racing driver, there is nothing you want more than just to be driving a lot. I am very happy with the programs for this year and I think it will help me to do my utmost all the time.”

Red Bull AF Corse came close to sealing last year’s title with Lawson but the rookie New Zealander came up three points short of champion Maximilian Goetz.

Lawson burst onto the GT racing scene by winning the Monza season-opener and sweeping Red Bull’s home event at the Red Bull Ring.

However, his title bid faltered at the final race when his Ferrari picked up damage following contact with championship rival Kelvin van der Linde at the start.

Albon, meanwhile, finished sixth in the standings and claimed his first sports car victory in Race 1 at the Nürburgring. The British-Thai driver has returned to Formula 1 this year with Williams Racing.