BMW has “unfinished business” with the DTM after the 2025 finale: Which lineup will be used to win the title and who will replace Rene Rast after three years?
It’s now been confirmed: Rene Rast will not be competing in the DTM in 2026 after his temporary retirement and thoughts about possibly staying on. After three years with the BMW Team Schubert, the three-time champion will be replaced by South African BMW works driver Kelvin van der Linde, who is returning to the traditional series after a year’s break. BMW has now officially announced this in a press release.
As in the past two years, the second Schubert BMW will be driven by two-time DTM champion Marco Wittmann, who is entering his 14th season, bringing the number of confirmed DTM cars for 2026 to 13. BMW has not yet released any designs for the two BMW M4 GT3 Evo cars, but it can be assumed that Wittmann’s car will continue to feature the Schaeffler design.
With the arrival of Kelvin van der Linde, who finished third overall in the Abt Audi in 2021 and was DTM runner-up in 2024, and who is also one of the strongest drivers in the BMW, the Munich-based team feels ready to take the title this year.
BMW Motorsport Director: “We have a score to settle with the DTM”
Especially since the disappointment of the 2025 season finale, when Rast was knocked out of the title race in what was his last DTM race for the time being after a tough duel with champion Ayhancan Güven, still lingers in the minds of BMW officials. “After the dramatic season finale in 2025, we still have a score to settle with the DTM,” says BMW Motorsport Director Andreas Roos.
“We were so close to winning the title that we are now even more motivated to do even better this year. I am convinced that with the winning combination of car, team, and drivers, we have the ideal conditions to fight for the DTM crown.”
Wittmann, who finished fifth in the overall standings in 2025, his best DTM season to date in the BMW M4 GT3, has “proved that he has what it takes to win his third title,” Roos is convinced.
“Kelvin had a great desire to return to the DTM right from the start.”
“Kelvin van der Linde had a strong desire to return to the DTM from the very beginning of our collaboration, and I am glad that we can now make this comeback possible for him,” says the BMW Motorsport Director, making it clear that van der Linde’s break from the DTM after switching to BMW a year ago was not entirely voluntary.
Rast’s withdrawal from the DTM – who is involved in Dennis Rostek’s Pole Promotion agency, which manages van der Linde – now offers the 29-year-old, who scored numerous victories in 2025 in the BMW M4 GT3 Evo, which was new to him, the chance to make a comeback.
According to Roos, van der Linde has “proved that he is capable of anything in the BMW M4 GT3 Evo. What’s more, his personality makes him a great asset to the DTM, which we believe is developing excellently,” he says, referring to the series’ upward trend. “The racing, the spectator numbers, and the great atmosphere make the DTM an indispensable platform for BMW M Motorsport.”
Kelvin van der Linde aims for title in Schubert debut season
Kelvin van der Linde makes no secret of how important his return to the DTM is to him. “The DTM is a very special championship for me. It was always my childhood dream to drive there and win races. I have achieved both, but the big goal remains: to win the DTM title,” he explains.
In doing so, he wants to follow in the footsteps of his younger brother Sheldon van der Linde, who won BMW’s last DTM title to date with Schubert. “Sheldon did it in 2022, and now it’s a kind of homecoming at Schubert Motorsport when I, as his brother, now also drive for the team,” he says, alluding to the fact that the environment is not entirely unfamiliar to him.
And he has set himself clear goals: “I want to be successful in the DTM right from the start in 2026 and fulfill my big dream of winning the drivers’ title.” Team boss Torsten Schubert expects him to settle in without any problems: “Of course, we’ll have to get used to each other first, but I think we know each other very well from the past and will quickly find our feet.”
Wittmann relies on proven engineers in 2026
It is well known that Wittmann, who last became DTM champion in 2016, also wants to be at the top. After last year’s upward trend, the 36-year-old from Franconia is “confident” that he can “once again compete at the front.” This confidence is based on the fact that he can rely on familiar engineers. “We have built a great foundation with Schubert Motorsport over the past two seasons. My crew of engineers and mechanics remains virtually unchanged. That’s very important because we work well together. In 2025, we were already able to fight for the title with both cars right up to the end. My clear goal for 2026 is to win my third DTM title.”