DTM teams urge ADAC to drop double-file restarts for 2023

Following its takeover of the DTM from long-time organiser ITR, the ADAC outlined last Thursday its plans to put the series at the top of its pyramid of championships in 2023 and revealed an eight-race calendar predominantly based in German-speaking countries.

It also stated that "significant measures to reduce budgets are also planned for competitors", but these have yet to be communicated.

One area that DTM teams hope will lead to a reduction in costs is from abandoning double-file restarts that ITR introduced for the 2017 season. They were criticised after the Norisring and Hockenheim rounds, which were both blighted by accident damage, although the ITR had indicated that it would remain part of the format for 2023.

Now that the series has shifted to the ADAC's control, teams have called on it to make a change.

Mercedes squad HRT's team principal Ulrich Fritz welcomed the decision not to return to Portugal, which hosted a two-day test before the opening round, as a "small detail that can have an impact" but stressed that the "biggest thing from my perspective is reducing the crashes and therefore the cost to the teams".

"If you have a look at last year's races, especially in Norisring and Hockenheim, from my perspective the double-file restarts need to be stopped because we as the teams have lost millions in these crashes we had there," he told Motorsport.com.

"It's nice for the show, but not if nobody can afford it.

"This is one thing that from my perspective was a huge cost last year and needs to go away."

Maximilian Buhk, Mercedes-AMG Team Mucke Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

Mucke Motorsport's Stefan Mucke agreed that "having less risk on a start or on a restart is quite an important point for cost-saving".

"That was causing always trouble, starting crashes," he told Motorsport.com when asked about the restart format.

"If you add up together the amount of money which has been wasted because of that, for the teams, it was not a good thing.

"Of course, it added up some tension and some probably interesting starts for the spectators, but for the [GT4-based] DTM Trophy as we had it as well, and that caused always some action and damage.
"I think this is something to really look at."

Team Bernhard boss Timo Bernhard believes the restarts "create unnecessary tension" and was also in favour of dropping it.

"If you have single-file it takes a bit of heat out in the first moment and will not add fire to already a hot situation," the two-time Le Mans winner told Motorsport.com.

"Crash damage was a huge factor last season, so I think that's for sure would be a good way to go."

He maintains however that it will be important to keep elements such as performance pitstops which adds cost to teams "because it's another thing to differentiate each other".

"I think that the teams should actively be involved in the result and that's the best way, with tyre change," Bernhard added.

Team Rosberg boss Kimmo Liimatainen supports a move away from double-file restarts too, and hopes that teams will be consulted on other cost-saving measures besides.

"I said the same thing last year that I understand the show is important, but in the end it is always the team who pays the bill if there is a big shunt," he said.

"That is definitely one part I would agree with, to go to the normal restarts.

"We need to sit in one table, that's what I would wish for, definitely we have to save somewhere.

"We just need to figure a way where we can all save something because I have spoken in the past also with some fellow competitors, team principals, and everybody pretty much says the same: it's sort of escalating a bit."