The youngest Schumacher scion is now starting in the DTM: "I still have to get used to a lot"

Created: 05/01/2022, 11:18 am

By: Alexander Kaindl

David Schumacher switched to the DTM and drives there for Mercedes.

© Eibner / Imago

David Schumacher has left single-seater racing and now drives in the DTM.

In his first race he finished 20th.

Munich – The dream has burst for the time being: David Schumacher will not end up in Formula 1 anytime soon.

The son of Ralf Schumacher and nephew of Michael Schumacher drove in Formula 3 for the past two years, but has now switched to the DTM.

The first races were scheduled there at the weekend.

The cousin of Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher finished 20th on his debut.

David Schumacher drives for Mercedes in the DTM: 20th place in the first race

The 20-year-old explained after the race: "I'm happy so far, but I still have to get used to a lot of things." Of course, driving the GT cars is completely different from driving the formula cars, as the youngest Schumacher driver knows. Sprout only too well.

That's why he still needs time to adjust to the circumstances and his Mercedes.

David Schumacher wrote on Instagram: “The first race in the DTM is over, I learned a lot today and found out how far I can go when overtaking.

But I still have to get used to the heat.” Temperatures around 60 degrees Celsius are normal in DTM cockpits.

In general, Schumi junior has a lot of fun with GT racing, because in the race you can work “much more with contact with other cars” and with more “risk”, as he told the newspapers of the Funke media group before the race weekend in Portimao, Portugal explained: “In single-seater racing, with the free-standing wheels, 99 percent of the time you can’t finish the race if you make contact.

In the DTM there are more crumple zones where you can test things out.”

David Schumacher in the DTM: Season opener in Portimao

By the way, the Austrian Lucas Auer (Mercedes) won the first race.

He prevailed over his German brand colleague Luca Stolz (Kirchen).

The podium was completed by the Italian Mirko Bortolotti in the Lamborghini.

Defending champion Maximilian Götz (Germany) played no part in the fight for race victory and finished eleventh in the Mercedes.

DTM returnee and ex-champion Rene Rast (Germany) in the Audi had to retire early from the first race on the Portuguese circuit.

Compared to last year, the field of riders has increased enormously.

Instead of 19 cars, 29 from six brands (Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Porsche) are at the start this year.

It is the second season with the GT3 vehicles for the racing series.

Series boss Gerhard Berger calls the DTM the "most demanding GT3 championship in the world".

Schumachers in the DTM and Formula 1

The second race of the weekend takes place on Sunday (1.30 p.m./ProSieben and ServusTV).

There are a total of eight race weekends with 16 races, the series finale will take place on August 8th and 9th.

October at the Hockenheimring.

The next event is on 21./22.

Scheduled at the Lausitzring in May.

Things get serious again for David Schumacher's cousin Mick on May 8th: That's when Formula 1 starts in Miami (all dates in the racing calendar).