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Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 to be driven by Liam Lawson in the 2021 DTM series
© Red Bull Media House
Formula Racing
Red Bull Returns to DTM with Ferrari team AF Corse
After two seasons away from the DTM lineup, Red Bull will return to DTM in 2021, supporting a pair of Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 cars prepped by three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner AF Corse.
Written by Red Bull Media House
3 min readPublished on
Behind the wheel will be young Kiwis standouts Liam Lawson and Nick Cassidy as well as Alexander Albon.
Liam Lawson will drive in the 2021 DTM season© Red Bull Media House
Since winning its debut race in 2016, the turbo-engine 488 GT3 has rocketed to status as one of the most successful models in Ferrari history, with a current overall and class tally (through January’s Gulf 12 Hours) of 355 victories, 640 podiums and 91 championships across 636 races.
Additionally, the AF Corse team has earned numerous titles in the World Endurance Championship, alongside their wins at Le Mans.
Team Principal and Owner Amato Ferrari says, “We have reached the agreement to work with Red Bull with great enthusiasm. We have just one ambition: victory. Considering the brands involved, all the requirements are there to aspire to be successful.”
Red Bull’s most recent DTM involvement was with two-time champion Mattias Ekström during his last years in the category. Now young Kiwi, Liam Lawson, will run a full season in one Red Bull cockpit, while Alexander Albon and Nick Cassidy will share driving duties in a car carrying the colors of Red Bull’s Premium fashion brand, AlphaTauri.
Lawson captured the 2019 championship in New Zealand’s open wheel Toyota Racing Series, which has seen names like Lance Stroll and Lando Norris claim titles on their way to seats in F1. After winning two races in F3 last season, the 18-year-old will run a dual program in 2021, including F2 as well as the full DTM season.
“GT racing is going to be very new to me. I am super excited for this opportunity in such a high-level series with world class drivers, and to team up with someone who has top experience like Alex,” Lawson enthuses. “I'm also super excited to drive the Ferrari.”
26-year-old Cassidy is a two-time champion in the Toyota Racing Series with titles in 2012 and 2013, and he went on to claim the “triple crown” of titles in Japan – Super Formula, Super GT, and All-Japan Formula 3. Now in Europe, the Kiwi will not only drive for DTM but is launching his maiden campaign in FIA Formula E.
Nick Cassidy will drive in the 2021 DTM season© Red Bull Media House
Gerhard Berger, DTM, says: “Both Red Bull and Ferrari are leading global players that represent absolute success in the world of motorsports and beyond. We are very delighted to unite these two top brands in a unique project in the DTM, where they will join forces in the effort to win the prestigious championship.”
Berger continues, “The unprecedented collaboration of the three high-class drivers is particularly promising: Formula 1 driver and podium finisher Alex Albon, GT professional and multiple race-winner Nick Cassidy and young talent Liam Lawson in one team – it is the perfect mix, which will keep the excitement level high in the upcoming DTM season.”
As DTM shifts to high-powered GT sports cars with an approach based on global GT3 regulations, expectations for the series are high. The unique characteristic of two sprint races of 55 minutes plus one lap each, without driver changes, remains. Among the new rules, a switch from the former standing start to a rolling, double-file start promises particularly fierce action.
DTM’s 2021 campaign will feature eight race weekends: four in Germany and four elsewhere in Europe, including the season opener on 18-20 June at Monza, the home race weekend for AF Corse. A home race weekend for Red Bull will come at Austria’s Red Bull Ring in early September, with the traditional closer at Hockenheim on 1-3 October.
Formula Racing
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