The DTM received harsh criticism from fans on social media this past weekend, with questionable racing conduct and squad orders playing a key role in the overall outcome of the championship.
First, Audi’s Kelvin van der Linde hit Liam Lawson, who showed up in the last round as a leader, leaving him with a badly damaged car after an overly ambitious maneuver at Turn 2. Then, Mercedes asked Lucas Auer and Philip Ellis to slow down in the final laps to hand over the lead of the race to Maximilian Gotz, allowing the German driver to snatch the title by three points from the talent of Red Bull.
After seeing the title slip from his driver’s fingers, AF Corse team boss Ron Riechert labeled the final Norisring race a “disgrace” for the DTM, while Lawson himself made it clear that he doesn’t want to return to the championship. next year.
Speaking to Bild, Berger admitted he was not impressed by the events at Norisring, acknowledging that the DTM failed to deliver a season finale to match the rest of the season.
“Honestly, I’ve slept really bad the last few nights,” Berger said. “I have been a fan of motorsport for 40 years and my heart as a sportsman cannot bear these artificial position changes.”
“Both arguments, the order of the Mercedes team and the van der Linde maneuver, not only sparked discussions, but damaged the image of the DTM.”
“I am incredibly sorry for all the people involved who have contributed to the attractiveness of the DTM this season and who have gone to great lengths to ensure that the DTM is synonymous with hard and fair racing, where the best wins, right up to the last race.” .
“Unfortunately, we did not manage to do it in the final and it is a hard blow for us in the eyes of the fans.”
Gerhard Berger, ITR Chairman
Photo by: Gruppe C GmbH
Team orders had been a mainstay in the DTM since the series was relaunched in 2000, but were banned at the start of the 2020 season with the support of both Audi and BMW – the only two manufacturers to participate in the final season. with the old regulations.
However, the squad order rule was dropped from this year’s sporting regulations, as it was felt that, with the DTM shifting to a formula focused on customer racing, manufacturers would not be manipulating the results as in the past.
Marking team orders as “unacceptable,” Berger said he will consider his options to avoid a repeat of the Norisring finale – but he did not explicitly say whether team orders will be banned again in 2022.
“If a driver makes a decision on his own initiative in the interest of the team, that’s fine. But that’s already at the limit,” he said. “What is absolutely unacceptable, however, is when teams or drivers are ordered to give up their position to give others an advantage.”
“Of course, the question is not new. In Formula 1 in particular, there are many examples that are unacceptable from a sporting point of view, both from the point of view of the fans and the other teams.”
“I just have to remember the wave of indignation that Ferrari faced from the fans when Rubens Barrichello gave up his victory in Austria in 2002 to give it to Michael Schumacher.”
“In our case, however, we are talking about an agreement between different teams. This is a completely different thing, which I cannot accept neither sportingly nor personally in our series.”
“This means that the issue is still on the table and I will personally fight for a solution. We will look carefully at the facts and then hopefully draw the right conclusions based on what we discover.”
“It is up to the fans to decide if they see anything positive in a move like this. As a sportsman, I certainly cannot, because it has devalued the drivers’ title.”
The DTM received harsh criticism from fans on social media this past weekend, with questionable racing conduct and squad orders playing a key role in the overall outcome of the championship.
First, Audi’s Kelvin van der Linde hit Liam Lawson, who showed up in the last round as a leader, leaving him with a badly damaged car after an overly ambitious maneuver at Turn 2. Then, Mercedes asked Lucas Auer and Philip Ellis to slow down in the final laps to hand over the lead of the race to Maximilian Gotz, allowing the German driver to snatch the title by three points from the talent of Red Bull.
After seeing the title slip from his driver’s fingers, AF Corse team boss Ron Riechert labeled the final Norisring race a “disgrace” for the DTM, while Lawson himself made it clear that he doesn’t want to return to the championship. next year.
Speaking to Bild, Berger admitted he was not impressed by the events at Norisring, acknowledging that the DTM failed to deliver a season finale to match the rest of the season.
“Honestly, I’ve slept really bad the last few nights,” Berger said. “I have been a fan of motorsport for 40 years and my heart as a sportsman cannot bear these artificial position changes.”
“Both arguments, the order of the Mercedes team and the van der Linde maneuver, not only sparked discussions, but damaged the image of the DTM.”
“I am incredibly sorry for all the people involved who have contributed to the attractiveness of the DTM this season and who have gone to great lengths to ensure that the DTM is synonymous with hard and fair racing, where the best wins, right up to the last race.” .
“Unfortunately, we did not manage to do it in the final and it is a hard blow for us in the eyes of the fans.”
Gerhard Berger, ITR Chairman
Photo by: Gruppe C GmbH
Team orders had been a mainstay in the DTM since the series was relaunched in 2000, but were banned at the start of the 2020 season with the support of both Audi and BMW – the only two manufacturers to participate in the final season. with the old regulations.
However, the squad order rule was dropped from this year’s sporting regulations, as it was felt that, with the DTM shifting to a formula focused on customer racing, manufacturers would not be manipulating the results as in the past.
Marking team orders as “unacceptable,” Berger said he will consider his options to avoid a repeat of the Norisring finale – but he did not explicitly say whether team orders will be banned again in 2022.
“If a driver makes a decision on his own initiative in the interest of the team, that’s fine. But that’s already at the limit,” he said. “What is absolutely unacceptable, however, is when teams or drivers are ordered to give up their position to give others an advantage.”
“Of course, the question is not new. In Formula 1 in particular, there are many examples that are unacceptable from a sporting point of view, both from the point of view of the fans and the other teams.”
“I just have to remember the wave of indignation that Ferrari faced from the fans when Rubens Barrichello gave up his victory in Austria in 2002 to give it to Michael Schumacher.”
“In our case, however, we are talking about an agreement between different teams. This is a completely different thing, which I cannot accept neither sportingly nor personally in our series.”
“This means that the issue is still on the table and I will personally fight for a solution. We will look carefully at the facts and then hopefully draw the right conclusions based on what we discover.”
“It is up to the fans to decide if they see anything positive in a move like this. As a sportsman, I certainly cannot, because it has devalued the drivers’ title.”
The DTM received harsh criticism from fans on social media this past weekend, with questionable racing conduct and squad orders playing a key role in the overall outcome of the championship.
First, Audi’s Kelvin van der Linde hit Liam Lawson, who showed up in the last round as a leader, leaving him with a badly damaged car after an overly ambitious maneuver at Turn 2. Then, Mercedes asked Lucas Auer and Philip Ellis to slow down in the final laps to hand over the lead of the race to Maximilian Gotz, allowing the German driver to snatch the title by three points from the talent of Red Bull.
After seeing the title slip from his driver’s fingers, AF Corse team boss Ron Riechert labeled the final Norisring race a “disgrace” for the DTM, while Lawson himself made it clear that he doesn’t want to return to the championship. next year.
Speaking to Bild, Berger admitted he was not impressed by the events at Norisring, acknowledging that the DTM failed to deliver a season finale to match the rest of the season.
“Honestly, I’ve slept really bad the last few nights,” Berger said. “I have been a fan of motorsport for 40 years and my heart as a sportsman cannot bear these artificial position changes.”
“Both arguments, the order of the Mercedes team and the van der Linde maneuver, not only sparked discussions, but damaged the image of the DTM.”
“I am incredibly sorry for all the people involved who have contributed to the attractiveness of the DTM this season and who have gone to great lengths to ensure that the DTM is synonymous with hard and fair racing, where the best wins, right up to the last race.” .
“Unfortunately, we did not manage to do it in the final and it is a hard blow for us in the eyes of the fans.”
Gerhard Berger, ITR Chairman
Photo by: Gruppe C GmbH
Team orders had been a mainstay in the DTM since the series was relaunched in 2000, but were banned at the start of the 2020 season with the support of both Audi and BMW – the only two manufacturers to participate in the final season. with the old regulations.
However, the squad order rule was dropped from this year’s sporting regulations, as it was felt that, with the DTM shifting to a formula focused on customer racing, manufacturers would not be manipulating the results as in the past.
Marking team orders as “unacceptable,” Berger said he will consider his options to avoid a repeat of the Norisring finale – but he did not explicitly say whether team orders will be banned again in 2022.
“If a driver makes a decision on his own initiative in the interest of the team, that’s fine. But that’s already at the limit,” he said. “What is absolutely unacceptable, however, is when teams or drivers are ordered to give up their position to give others an advantage.”
“Of course, the question is not new. In Formula 1 in particular, there are many examples that are unacceptable from a sporting point of view, both from the point of view of the fans and the other teams.”
“I just have to remember the wave of indignation that Ferrari faced from the fans when Rubens Barrichello gave up his victory in Austria in 2002 to give it to Michael Schumacher.”
“In our case, however, we are talking about an agreement between different teams. This is a completely different thing, which I cannot accept neither sportingly nor personally in our series.”
“This means that the issue is still on the table and I will personally fight for a solution. We will look carefully at the facts and then hopefully draw the right conclusions based on what we discover.”
“It is up to the fans to decide if they see anything positive in a move like this. As a sportsman, I certainly cannot, because it has devalued the drivers’ title.”
The DTM received harsh criticism from fans on social media this past weekend, with questionable racing conduct and squad orders playing a key role in the overall outcome of the championship.
First, Audi’s Kelvin van der Linde hit Liam Lawson, who showed up in the last round as a leader, leaving him with a badly damaged car after an overly ambitious maneuver at Turn 2. Then, Mercedes asked Lucas Auer and Philip Ellis to slow down in the final laps to hand over the lead of the race to Maximilian Gotz, allowing the German driver to snatch the title by three points from the talent of Red Bull.
After seeing the title slip from his driver’s fingers, AF Corse team boss Ron Riechert labeled the final Norisring race a “disgrace” for the DTM, while Lawson himself made it clear that he doesn’t want to return to the championship. next year.
Speaking to Bild, Berger admitted he was not impressed by the events at Norisring, acknowledging that the DTM failed to deliver a season finale to match the rest of the season.
“Honestly, I’ve slept really bad the last few nights,” Berger said. “I have been a fan of motorsport for 40 years and my heart as a sportsman cannot bear these artificial position changes.”
“Both arguments, the order of the Mercedes team and the van der Linde maneuver, not only sparked discussions, but damaged the image of the DTM.”
“I am incredibly sorry for all the people involved who have contributed to the attractiveness of the DTM this season and who have gone to great lengths to ensure that the DTM is synonymous with hard and fair racing, where the best wins, right up to the last race.” .
“Unfortunately, we did not manage to do it in the final and it is a hard blow for us in the eyes of the fans.”
Gerhard Berger, ITR Chairman
Photo by: Gruppe C GmbH
Team orders had been a mainstay in the DTM since the series was relaunched in 2000, but were banned at the start of the 2020 season with the support of both Audi and BMW – the only two manufacturers to participate in the final season. with the old regulations.
However, the squad order rule was dropped from this year’s sporting regulations, as it was felt that, with the DTM shifting to a formula focused on customer racing, manufacturers would not be manipulating the results as in the past.
Marking team orders as “unacceptable,” Berger said he will consider his options to avoid a repeat of the Norisring finale – but he did not explicitly say whether team orders will be banned again in 2022.
“If a driver makes a decision on his own initiative in the interest of the team, that’s fine. But that’s already at the limit,” he said. “What is absolutely unacceptable, however, is when teams or drivers are ordered to give up their position to give others an advantage.”
“Of course, the question is not new. In Formula 1 in particular, there are many examples that are unacceptable from a sporting point of view, both from the point of view of the fans and the other teams.”
“I just have to remember the wave of indignation that Ferrari faced from the fans when Rubens Barrichello gave up his victory in Austria in 2002 to give it to Michael Schumacher.”
“In our case, however, we are talking about an agreement between different teams. This is a completely different thing, which I cannot accept neither sportingly nor personally in our series.”
“This means that the issue is still on the table and I will personally fight for a solution. We will look carefully at the facts and then hopefully draw the right conclusions based on what we discover.”
“It is up to the fans to decide if they see anything positive in a move like this. As a sportsman, I certainly cannot, because it has devalued the drivers’ title.”