Rast to Depart Audi at End of Season

Rene Rast will leave Audi Sport at the end of the current season after a long spell with the German manufacturer highlighted by three DTM titles and several major GT3 wins.

The German driver on Tuesday announced the upcoming end of his association with Audi having represented the company since 2011 when he first drove the R8 LMS GT3.

After winning the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa twice, as well as the Nürburgring 24, the GTD class of the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 2014 ADAC GT Masters title, Rast received his first DTM opportunity in 2016 as a stand-in for two events.

He was promoted to a full-time seat for the following season and won the championship at the first time of asking with Audi Sport Team Rosberg.

Despite finishing to Mercedes driver Gary Paffett the year after, Rast went on to claim won two more titles under the turbocharged years of the Audi RS 5 DTM.

A move to the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship came after the third DTM crown, but Rast’s spell in the electric series only lasted one full season as it was the last for Audi’s factory involvement. This year marked his DTM return in the series’ GT3 era.

Rast also drove for Audi in the LMP1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015, and currently races for Team WRT in the FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2 ranks.

“This decision was anything but easy for me,” said the 35-year-old.

“Audi has been my life over the past few years. We’ve worked fantastically together and celebrated many great successes. I’ll never forget these moments, nor the many great people who made my victories and championship titles possible.”

Rast described the Class 1 era of the DTM, when he claimed his three championship titles, as the “absolute highlight” of ihis time with the brand.

“The Audi RS 5 DTM, with its four-cylinder turbo engine, was a fantastic race car,” he said.

“Unfortunately, this era came to an end far too quickly. In both the Le Mans prototypes and Formula E, I also had the misfortune of having just joined the team when the programs ended. That was a real shame.

“I’m enjoying the DTM with GT3 race cars much more than I could ever have imagined. But I still have a few goals in motorsport that I want to achieve. That’s why I have to say goodbye to the Audi fans with a heavy heart after the end of the 2022 season.”

Rast’s future plans beyond the end of his Audi Sport affiliation have not been announced.

The remainder of his final campaign will consist of pushing for a fourth DTM title, with only Sheldon van der Linde and Mirko Bortolotti ahead of him in the drivers’ standings.

“What Rene Rast has achieved for Audi Sport, particularly in the DTM, is unique,” declared Oliver Hoffmann, Board Member for Technical Development at Audi.

“It is all the more painful that we have to let René go as a race driver after so many successful years together.

“Our motorsport program is currently being restructured completely as part of the electrification of the company. And René is also at a point in his career where he wants to set a new course.

“Rene Rast has a firm place in the history of Audi Sport and he will always remain a friend of the Audi family. We wish him only the best for his future.”

Julius Seebach, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH who is in charge of the manufacturer’s motorsport activities, added: “Rene Rast has long been underestimated. At Audi Sport, he was able to show that he is one of the world’s best race drivers.

“Above all, his exploits in the Class 1 era of the DTM will always be closely associated with the four rings.”