New entry ensures Audi remains in the DTM in 2025

Audi will continue to be represented in the DTM this year following a last-minute entry for Ricardo Feller by Land Motorsport.

With long-time Abt Sportsline having switched to Lamborghini over the winter, there was a real risk that Audi would not be present on the DTM grid for the first time since the series' revival in 2000.

Audi’s decision to curtail its GT3 programme had made its difficult for teams to continue running the ageing R8 LMS GT3, especially in a championship like the DTM where rival manufacturers provide heavy factory support.

However, on Friday, it was announced that Land Motorsport will enter the DTM for the first time in 2025, fielding a single entry for race winner Feller.

The Swiss driver was initially going to race a Porsche 911 GT3 R for Allied Racing in the DTM after splitting with Abt over the winter, but the Porsche-affiliated team withdrew its entry earlier this month and subsequently filed for insolvency.

This left Feller without a seat in the DTM, but he has now found a new berth with Land Motorsport, the team with which he won the GT Masters title in 2021.

“Ricardo should have been racing for another team in the DTM,” team boss Christian Land explained. 

“However, that programme failed to materialise. We were in close contact with him and put together an alternative plan for the season.”

Feller was previously a part of Audi’s factory line-up in GT racing, but the Ingolstadt-based company disbanded its driver roster in stages in the last two years.

Feller raced Abt's Audi R8 LMS GT3 in the DTM in the last three years, securing a best finish of third in the standings in 2023.

After his split with both Audi and Abt, he joined Porsche as a contracted driver for the 2025 season and was due to represent the Stuttgart-based marque in the DTM until Allied Racing’s withdrawal from the series.

Feller has received permission from Porsche to drive an Audi in the DTM, with both manufacturers being part of the same Volkswagen Group.

“Everything has come together perfectly, and I am glad to get the chance to take on the DTM this year with Land-Motorsport,” Feller said.

“The last few weeks have been very challenging for me, and the collapse of my original DTM programme was a big setback.

“There was a great deal of uncertainty, and I am particularly grateful for Christian and Wolfgang Land for all their efforts. I would also like to thank Porsche for allowing me to go ahead with these plans.”

Land Motorsport will take part in the pre-season test at Oschersleben on 1 April prior to the first race at the same venue later in the month.

While Allied Racing will not be racing in the DTM as originally expected, Porsche will continue to have a presence in the series thanks to an expanded three-car entry from Manthey.