Rene Rast has announced he will leave DTM at the end of the 2025 season, on the eve of the final round as he prepares to battle for a fourth title in the series.
The three-time DTM champion heads into the Hockenheim finale third in the drivers’ standings, 11 points behind leader Lucas Auer and four points off runner-up Jordan Pepper.
“After so many unforgettable years in the DTM, I want to share with you that I will not be on the DTM grid next year,” said Rast on social media.
“However, this is not a final farewell – the DTM will always remain an important part of my career and my identity as a driver. But in 2026 my path leads me in another direction…
“My great thanks go to all the teams I’ve raced for, the mechanics who gave everything in the pits, and the engineers who tirelessly strived for perfection. Without your passion and hard work, my successes would not have been possible.
“I am equally grateful for the memories, the victories, the challenges – and especially for the fans who have accompanied and supported me every step of the way. Even though I will not be on the DTM grid next year, I look forward to the opportunities ahead – and who knows what the future holds. Thank you for being part of this journey.”
Rast is set to remain part of BMW’s Hypercar programme and is expected to continue racing in the World Endurance Championship and at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2026.
Rene Rast, Schubert Motorsport
Photo by: ADAC Motorsport
BMW motorsport boss Andreas Roos said: “We want to make sure that as few drivers as possible focus on our only works programme. That doesn’t mean Rene is gone from the DTM forever, but for 2026 we can say he won’t race there. And then we’ll see for the future how we continue.”
In Rast, the DTM loses perhaps its most well-known driver on the current grid, who dominated during the Class 1 era as a regular driver for Audi Team Rosberg from 2017 to 2020.
Rast has achieved 31 wins – 24 of them during the manufacturer era up to 2020 – along with 59 podiums and 26 pole positions.
This puts him in the all-time series ranking with three titles in 2017, 2019, and 2020, behind Bernd Schneider with five championships, and tied with Klaus Ludwig in second place.
In 2016, he made an unexpected DTM debut at Zandvoort after Adrien Tambay was injured in a crash during the Saturday race. His first full season followed in 2017 with Audi Team Rosberg, in which Rast unexpectedly won the title.
Rast proved that his success was no fluke and quickly became Audi’s spearhead in the DTM. With the end of the manufacturer era and the switch to GT3, Rast took a break from the DTM in 2021. His attempts to establish himself in Formula E were unsuccessful.
In 2022, he returned to the DTM with Abt in Audi, before joining BMW Team Schubert in 2023.
If Rast can clinch the 2025 DTM title with BMW, he would become the second driver after Ludwig (Ford and Mercedes) to win DTM titles with different brands.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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