# 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

The 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters was the thirty-fifth season of the premier German motor racing championship and also the twenty-second season under the moniker of Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters since the series' resumption in 2000.
It was the first season of the DTM to be run under Group GT3 regulations, following the costly two-year "Class 1 Touring Cars" venture that led to Audi and BMW withdrawing manufacturer support from the series.
Maximilian Götz won the drivers' championship in the last race, surrounded by a controversy due to a first-corner collision between his rivals Kelvin van der Linde and Liam Lawson, as well as team orders imposed by Mercedes-AMG in the closing laps.

## Rule changes
### Technical

* As a consequence of ruthlessly brutal raising costs, after two seasons raced under "Class 1" formula format, the series officially transitioned to FIA GT3 regulation, using its own Balance of Performance. The move from Class 1 to GT3 attracted more manufacturers and teams that couldn't previously compete in the series due to high cost. The Class 1 format cars and 2.0-litre (122 cubic inches) turbocharged inline-4 engines that were used in 2019 and 2020 were permanently retired.
* After 10 seasons, Hankook terminated their tyre supplier contract with the DTM despite being under contract until 2023. On 1 March 2021, it was announced that Michelin was to provide tyres for the 2021 season.

### Sporting

* For the first time since 2001, the series no longer utilises standing starts for the commencement of races. Instead the series introduced its so-called "DTM formation start" in a rolling double-file formation.

## Teams and drivers

All teams competed with tyres supplied by Michelin.
| Manufacturer | Car | Engine | Team | No. | Driver | Status | Rounds |
| Audi | Audi R8 LMS Evo | Audi BXA 5.2 L V10 | Team Abt Sportsline Team Abt | 3 | Kelvin van der Linde | | All |
| Audi | Audi R8 LMS Evo | Audi BXA 5.2 L V10 | Team Abt Sportsline Team Abt | 9 | Mike Rockenfeller | | All |
| Audi | Audi R8 LMS Evo | Audi BXA 5.2 L V10 | Team Abt Sportsline Team Abt | 37 | Lucas di Grassi | G | 7–8 |
| Audi | Audi R8 LMS Evo | Audi BXA 5.2 L V10 | Team Abt Sportsline Team Abt | 99 | Sophia Flörsch | J | 1–3, 5–8 |
| Audi | Audi R8 LMS Evo | Audi BXA 5.2 L V10 | Team Abt Sportsline Team Abt | 99 | Markus Winkelhock | | 4 |
| Audi | Audi R8 LMS Evo | Audi BXA 5.2 L V10 | Team Rosberg | 12 | Dev Gore | | 1–3, 5–8 |
| Audi | Audi R8 LMS Evo | Audi BXA 5.2 L V10 | Team Rosberg | 12 | Christopher Haase | | 4 |
| Audi | Audi R8 LMS Evo | Audi BXA 5.2 L V10 | Team Rosberg | 51 | Nico Müller | | All |
| BMW | BMW M6 GT3 | BMW S63 4.4 L Twin Turbo V8 | Walkenhorst Motorsport | 11 | Marco Wittmann | | All |
| BMW | BMW M6 GT3 | BMW S63 4.4 L Twin Turbo V8 | ROWE Racing | 16 | Timo Glock | | All |
| BMW | BMW M6 GT3 | BMW S63 4.4 L Twin Turbo V8 | ROWE Racing | 31 | Sheldon van der Linde | J | All |
| Ferrari | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 | Ferrari F154 3.9 L Twin Turbo V8 | AlphaTauri AF Corse Red Bull AF Corse | 23 | Alex Albon | | 1–7 |
| Ferrari | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 | Ferrari F154 3.9 L Twin Turbo V8 | AlphaTauri AF Corse Red Bull AF Corse | 23 | Nick Cassidy | | 8 |
| Ferrari | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 | Ferrari F154 3.9 L Twin Turbo V8 | AlphaTauri AF Corse Red Bull AF Corse | 30 | Liam Lawson | J | All |
| Lamborghini | Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo | Lamborghini 5.2 L V10 | T3 Motorsport | 10 | Esteban Muth | J | All |
| Lamborghini | Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo | Lamborghini 5.2 L V10 | T3 Motorsport | 26 | Esmee Hawkey | | All |
| Lamborghini | Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo | Lamborghini 5.2 L V10 | T3 Motorsport | 63 | Mirko Bortolotti | G | 6 |
| Lamborghini | Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo | Lamborghini 5.2 L V10 | T3 Motorsport | 71 | Maximilian Paul | G | 5 |
| McLaren | McLaren 720S GT3 | McLaren M840T 4.0 L Twin Turbo V8 | JP Motorsport | 15 | Christian Klien | G | 3–4, 6 |
| Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | Mercedes-AMG Team HRT | 4 | Maximilian Götz | | All |
| Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | Mercedes-AMG Team HRT | 5 | Vincent Abril | | All |
| Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | Mercedes-AMG Team HRT | 6 | Hubert Haupt | G | 4, 7 |
| Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT | 7 | Luca Stolz | G | 4 |
| Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing | 8 | Daniel Juncadella | | All |
| Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport | 18 | Maximilian Buhk | | 1–6, 8 |
| Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport | 18 | Marvin Dienst | | 7 |
| Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | Mercedes-AMG Team Winward | 22 | Lucas Auer | | All |
| Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | Mercedes-AMG Team Winward | 57 | Philip Ellis | | All |
| Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed | 36 | Arjun Maini | | All |
| Porsche | Porsche 911 GT3 R | Porsche MA1.76/MDG.G 4.0 L Flat-6 | SSR Performance | 92 | Michael Ammermüller | G | 4 |
| Icon | Status |
| J | Junior |
| G | Guest drivers ineligible for points |

### Manufacturer changes

* Mercedes-Benz returned to the series after two years of absence, but acted as a privateer manufacturer.
* Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini joined the series for the first time, but acted as privateer manufacturers.
* Audi and BMW remained in the series, but acted as privateer manufacturers.

### Team changes

* Hong Kong sports car team GruppeM Racing joined the series for the first time by fielding a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo car.
* Italian sports car team AF Corse joined the series with backing from Red Bull and AlphaTauri by fielding two Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 machines.
* German sports car team Haupt Racing Team joined the series for the first time by fielding two Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo cars.
* American sports car team HTP Winward Motorsport joined the series for the first time by fielding two Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo cars.
* German sports car team ROWE Racing joined the series for the first time by fielding two BMW M6 GT3 cars.
* Polish JP Motorsport joined the series for the first time by fielding a McLaren 720S GT3 car, but only as a guest participant at three rounds.
* German sports car team T3 Motorsport joined the series for the first time by fielding two Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo cars.

### Driver changes
#### Entering DTM

Former Red Bull Formula One driver Alex Albon and Formula 2 driver and Red Bull Junior Team member Liam Lawson entered the series with the Red Bull-backed AF Corse team. Lawson contested the full season combining it with an entry in the Formula 2 Championship, while Albon was scheduled to compete in selected races where they did not clash with Formula One Grand Prix weekends due to his commitments as Red Bull Racing's test and reserve driver. Eventually, Albon only missed the final round at the Norisring, where he was replaced by former Super Formula, Super GT, and current Formula E driver Nick Cassidy.
Gary Paffett was set to come back to the DTM after a two-year absence driving for Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport, with Maximilian Buhk standing in for him in two rounds due to Formula E commitments. He was eventually forced to abandon these plans because of the COVID-19 restrictions though, and Buhk saw out the season.

#### Leaving DTM

Robert Kubica left the series after one season. Three times DTM champion René Rast left the championship for Formula E Audi full-time entry.

## Race calendar

A preliminary nine-round, eighteen-race calendar was announced on 6 November 2020; four rounds were to be held in Germany, with the remaining five held across Europe.
Igora Drive, Monza and the Norisring – all of which were scheduled to hold events in 2020, before their respective cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic – returned to the calendar, and the Red Bull Ring will hold a round for the first time since 2018. All circuits that held events in 2020 will return in 2021, with the exception of Spa-Francorchamps; Anderstorp and Brands Hatch will also not return, after their rounds were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Igora Drive was cancelled and DTM published a new calendar for the 2021 season. The inclusion of the Norisring round was uncertain as the season began in mid-June and it missed its traditional spot in early July, before it was re-added to the calendar to be held in October as the final round of the season.
| Round | Circuit | Location | Race 1 | Race 2 |
| 1 | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Monza, Lombardy | 19 June | 20 June |
| 2 | Lausitzring (GP Circuit with Banked Turn 1) | Klettwitz, Brandenburg | 24 July | 25 July |
| 3 | Circuit Zolder | Heusden-Zolder, Limburg | 7 August | 8 August |
| 4 | Nürburgring (Sprint Circuit) | Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate | 21 August | 22 August |
| 5 | Red Bull Ring | Spielberg, Styria | 4 September | 5 September |
| 6 | TT Circuit Assen | Assen, Drenthe | 18 September | 19 September |
| 7 | Hockenheimring | Hockenheim, Baden-Württemberg | 2 October | 3 October |
| 8 | Norisring | Nuremberg, Bavaria | 9 October | 10 October |
| Sources: |||||

## Results and standings
### Season summary

| Round | Round | Circuit | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | Winning manufacturer | Junior Winner |
| 1 | R1 | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Vincent Abril | Liam Lawson | Liam Lawson | Red Bull AF Corse | Ferrari | Liam Lawson |
| 1 | R2 | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Kelvin van der Linde | Lucas Auer | Kelvin van der Linde | Team Abt Sportsline | Audi | Sheldon van der Linde |
| 2 | R1 | Lausitzring (GP Circuit with Banked Turn 1) | Sheldon van der Linde | Sheldon van der Linde | Philip Ellis | Mercedes-AMG Team Winward | Mercedes-AMG | Liam Lawson |
| 2 | R2 | Lausitzring (GP Circuit with Banked Turn 1) | Philip Ellis | Kelvin van der Linde | Maximilian Götz | Mercedes-AMG Team HRT | Mercedes-AMG | Liam Lawson |
| 3 | R1 | Circuit Zolder | Kelvin van der Linde | Alex Albon | Kelvin van der Linde | Team Abt Sportsline | Audi | Esteban Muth |
| 3 | R2 | Circuit Zolder | Marco Wittmann | Nico Müller | Marco Wittmann | Walkenhorst Motorsport | BMW | Liam Lawson |
| 4 | R1 | Nürburgring (Sprint Circuit) | Kelvin van der Linde | Kelvin van der Linde | Kelvin van der Linde | Team Abt Sportsline | Audi | Sheldon van der Linde |
| 4 | R2 | Nürburgring (Sprint Circuit) | Alex Albon | Christopher Haase | Alex Albon | AlphaTauri AF Corse | Ferrari | Esteban Muth |
| 5 | R1 | Red Bull Ring | Liam Lawson | Esteban Muth | Liam Lawson | Red Bull AF Corse | Ferrari | Liam Lawson |
| 5 | R2 | Red Bull Ring | Marco Wittmann | Marco Wittmann | Liam Lawson | Red Bull AF Corse | Ferrari | Liam Lawson |
| 6 | R1 | TT Circuit Assen | Liam Lawson | Mirko Bortolotti | Marco Wittmann | Walkenhorst Motorsport | BMW | Liam Lawson |
| 6 | R2 | TT Circuit Assen | Lucas Auer | Mike Rockenfeller | Lucas Auer | Mercedes-AMG Team Winward | Mercedes-AMG | Liam Lawson |
| 7 | R1 | Hockenheimring | Kelvin van der Linde | Alex Albon | Kelvin van der Linde | Team Abt Sportsline | Audi | Liam Lawson |
| 7 | R2 | Hockenheimring | Kelvin van der Linde | Alex Albon | Lucas Auer | Mercedes-AMG Team Winward | Mercedes-AMG | Liam Lawson |
| 8 | R1 | Norisring | Liam Lawson | Nico Müller | Maximilian Götz | Mercedes-AMG Team HRT | Mercedes-AMG | Liam Lawson |
| 8 | R2 | Norisring | Liam Lawson | Nick Cassidy | Maximilian Götz | Mercedes-AMG Team HRT | Mercedes-AMG | Sophia Flörsch |

### Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top ten classified finishers as follows:
| Race Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
| Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Additionally, the top three placed drivers in qualifying also received points:
| Qualifying Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Points | 3 | 2 | 1 |

### Drivers' championship

| Pos. | Driver | MNZ | MNZ | LAU | LAU | ZOL | ZOL | NÜR | NÜR | RBR | RBR | ASS | ASS | HOC | HOC | NOR | NOR | Points |
| 1 | Maximilian Götz | 2$^3$ | 10 | Ret | 1$^3$ | 7$^2$ | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2$^2$ | 3 | 4$^3$ | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 230 |
| 2 | Liam Lawson J | 1 | 13$^2$ | 2 | 2$^2$ | Ret | 3 | 13 | Ret | 1$^1$ | 1$^2$ | 3$^1$ | 2$^3$ | 4$^3$ | 2 | 3$^1$ | NC$^1$ | 227 |
| 3 | Kelvin van der Linde | 4 | 1$^1$ | 4$^2$ | 3 | 1$^1$ | 8 | 1$^1$ | Ret | 5 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 1$^1$ | 10$^1$ | 4$^2$ | 17$^2$ | 208 |
| 4 | Marco Wittmann | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5$^3$ | 1$^1$ | 5$^3$ | 3$^3$ | 7 | 2$^1$ | 1$^2$ | 3$^2$ | Ret | 11 | 12 | 7 | 171 |
| 5 | Lucas Auer | 12$^2$ | 3 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 5$^2$ | 11 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 1$^1$ | Ret$^2$ | 1$^2$ | 6$^3$ | 2 | 152 |
| 6 | Alex Albon | 3 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 6 | Ret | 1$^1$ | 4 | 17 | Ret | 5 | 2 | 6 | | | 130 |
| 7 | Philip Ellis | Ret | 6 | 1 | 4$^1$ | 8 | 16 | 2$^2$ | Ret | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 129 |
| 8 | Mike Rockenfeller | 9 | 8 | 3$^3$ | 8 | 2 | 10$^3$ | 3 | Ret | 15 | Ret | 13 | 11 | 3 | 15 | Ret | 4 | 89 |
| 9 | Daniel Juncadella | 5$^1$ | 11 | Ret | 7 | Ret | 12 | 8 | 2$^2$ | 11 | 12 | Ret | Ret | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 77 |
| 10 | Nico Müller | 7 | 2 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 9 | Ret | 14 | Ret | 8 | Ret | 12 | 8 | 15 | 56 |
| 11 | Sheldon van der Linde J | 11 | 4$^3$ | 9$^1$ | 5 | 16 | 7 | 6 | Ret | Ret | Ret$^3$ | 6 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 16 | 55 |
| 12 | Arjun Maini | 13 | Ret | Ret | 12 | Ret | DNS | 10 | 13 | 6$^3$ | 7 | Ret | 13 | Ret | 8$^3$ | 2 | 6 | 48 |
| 13 | Esteban Muth J | 10 | 9 | 8 | Ret | 6 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 8 | Ret | 11 | Ret | 41 |
| 14 | Vincent Abril | DSQ | DSQ | Ret | 14 | 4 | Ret | 12 | 8 | 9 | 8 | Ret | 9 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 8 | 34 |
| 15 | Maximilian Buhk | 6 | 12 | 10 | 18 | Ret | 11 | Ret | Ret | 12 | 9 | Ret | 15 | | | 9 | 3 | 28 |
| 16 | Nick Cassidy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | 13$^3$ | 11 |
| 17 | Timo Glock | 16 | Ret | 11 | 13 | 11 | 17 | 19 | 7 | 10 | 10 | Ret | 14 | 10 | 14 | Ret | 11 | 9 |
| 18 | Sophia Flörsch J | 15 | 15 | Ret | 15 | 15 | Ret | | | 17 | 15 | 9 | 16 | 12 | Ret | 13 | 9 | 8 |
| 19 | Marvin Dienst | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11 | 7 | | | 6 |
| 20 | Esmee Hawkey | 14 | 16 | Ret | 16 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 11 | 16 | 16 | 11 | Ret | 14 | 16 | Ret | Ret | 2 |
| 21 | Christopher Haase | | | | | | | Ret | 10 | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| 22 | Dev Gore | Ret | 14 | 12 | 17 | 14 | 15 | | | Ret | Ret | DNS | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 0 |
| 23 | Markus Winkelhock | | | | | | | 16 | 14 | | | | | | | | | 0 |
| Guest drivers ineligible to score points |||||||||||||||||||
| — | Mirko Bortolotti | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | 7 | | | | | — |
| — | Christian Klien | | | | | 12 | 14 | 15 | 12 | | | 5 | Ret | | | | | — |
| — | Luca Stolz | | | | | | | 9 | Ret | | | | | | | | | — |
| — | Maximilian Paul | | | | | | | | | 13 | 11 | | | | | | | — |
| — | Lucas di Grassi | | | | | | | | | | | | | 15 | Ret | 15 | 12 | — |
| — | Hubert Haupt | | | | | | | 18 | Ret | | | | | 13 | 13 | | | — |
| — | Michael Ammermüller | | | | | | | Ret | Ret | | | | | | | | | — |
| Pos. | Driver | MNZ | MNZ | LAU | LAU | ZOL | ZOL | NÜR | NÜR | RBR | RBR | ASS | ASS | HOC | HOC | NOR | NOR | Points |
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Red | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Blank | Did not arrive (DNA) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |

### Teams' championship

| Pos. | Team | Points |
| 1 | Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse | 368 |
| 2 | Team Abt Sportsline | 296 |
| 3 | Mercedes-AMG Team Winward | 281 |
| 4 | Mercedes-AMG Team HRT | 262 |
| 5 | Walkenhorst Motorsport | 171 |
| 6 | Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing | 77 |
| 7 | ROWE Racing | 64 |
| 8 | Team Rosberg | 55 |
| 9 | Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed | 48 |
| 10 | T3 Motorsport | 43 |
| 11 | Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport | 34 |
| 12 | Team Abt | 8 |

### Manufacturers' championship

Only points scored by the top three drivers of a manufacturer in races count for the manufacturers' championship.
| Pos. | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Mercedes-AMG | 617 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 368 |
| 3 | Audi | 359 |
| 4 | BMW | 235 |
| 5 | Lamborghini | 43 |