“Talks with British manufacturer” – Is McLaren entering DTM with Project 1?

McLaren has had a really temporary historical past within the DTM to this point, with three visitor outings for Components 1 driver Christian Klien in 2021 the one time it was formally represented within the collection.

Nevertheless, Motorsport.com understands {that a} full-season entry is within the works for 2024, with even the ADAC hinting at the opportunity of McLaren becoming a member of the DTM subsequent 12 months.

“I’ve had discussions with one other producer right here,” ADAC motorsport boss Thomas Vosse stated in an interview with German broadcaster ran.de. 

“I gained’t say [the name], it is a British producer, I can inform.”

Undertaking 1, which joined the DTM at first of this 12 months with a pair of BMW M4 GT3s pushed by Marco Wittmann and Sandro Holmez, is anticipated to entrance the potential McLaren effort.

The German outfit’s maiden marketing campaign within the DTM was fairly underwhelming, with star driver Wittmann additionally complaining a few lack of testing alternatives compared to rival BMW squad Schubert Motorsport.

There at the moment are indicators that Undertaking 1 may half methods with BMW, regardless of the staff having the contract to run the BMW M2 Cup collection on the official DTM assist bundle, paving the best way for a brand new affiliation with McLaren.

Picture by: Alexander Trienitz

Marco Wittmann, Undertaking 1 Motorsport BMW M4 GT3

Undertaking 1 staff boss Hans Bernd Kamps is claimed to have good contacts with McLaren, which had been doubtless shaped throughout his time in Components 1 because the supervisor of ex-grand prix driver Timo Glock.

It’s also becoming that manufacturing unit McLaren driver Marvin Kirchhofer said earlier this 12 months that his objective is to compete within the DTM within the “close to future”.

Kirchhofer does have a cope with Pfaff to compete within the IMSA SportsCar Championship for subsequent 12 months, however that must be no hurdle in a possible second programme within the DTM as there are not any clashes between the 2 collection.

Funding for a Undertaking 1-led McLaren effort may come from Dorr Motorsport and its proprietor Rainer Dorr, who attended final month’s DTM finale at Hockenheim.

Along with participating in GT4 races, Dorr Motorsport was additionally the first-ever German staff to race the 720 GT3 in 2021 when it entered the automobile within the GTC Race Collection on the DTM assist invoice. 

Dorr Group can be McLaren’s largest seller in Europe, with showrooms in key cities similar to Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart, and thus has the monetary would possibly to assist the programme.

Additional, Dorr relations are additionally lively as drivers, with 18-year-old Ben Dorr, son of Rainer, ending runner-up in GT4 Germany final 12 months and gaining his first expertise of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 on the Nurburgring-Nordschleife this 12 months. 

Ben Dorr’s elder brother, Phil, 22, completed third in GT4 Germany in 2021 and was additionally a part of the identical Aston Martin staff within the Nurburgring 24 Hours.