Sheldon van der Linde is DTM Champion 2022 – Marco Wittmann drives to victory in the season finale in the BMW M4 GT3.
10-10-2022 08:18 - MOTORSPORT
Perfect and highly emotional DTM season finale for the BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers! Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) was crowned champion in the drivers' standings with a third place finish in the last race at the Hockenheimring (GER) – a day after his Schubert Motorsport team secured the team title. Van der Linde is the first DTM champion from South Africa and the first BMW title holder since Marco Wittmann (GER) in 2016. Wittmann himself celebrated his first win at the season finale at the end of a difficult year.
Van der Linde showed strong nerves on the last race weekend of the season. On Saturday, after a penalty, he fought his way up from 16th place on the grid to second place. On Sunday he secured fifth starting position and then drove a flawless race, which he finished third on the podium. In the drivers' standings, he has 164 points as champion, eleven more than second-placed Lucas Auer (AUT, Mercedes). In his championship season, van der Linde celebrated three victories and a total of six podium finishes. It was his fourth DTM season and the first for his Schubert Motorsport team, which also secured the team title on its debut. It was the first for a BMW M Motorsport team in the DTM since BMW M Team RMG 2014. Schubert Motorsport had 226 points after 16 races. The second star of Sunday's race in Hockenheim was Marco Wittmann. The two-time DTM champion ended a difficult season for him with a clear exclamation mark and finally won in his Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M4 GT3. It was the 18th victory of his DTM career. Overall, he was on the podium three times this year and finished eighth in the drivers' standings with 98 points. Philipp Eng (AUT) retired on Sunday with a puncture. He ended the season with 64 points in 14th place in the drivers' standings. Leon Koehler (GER) drove on his second race weekend in the Overall, he was on the podium three times this year and finished eighth in the drivers' standings with 98 points. Philipp Eng (AUT) retired on Sunday with a puncture. He ended the season with 64 points in 14th place in the drivers' standings. Leon Koehler (GER) drove on his second race weekend in the Overall, he was on the podium three times this year and finished eighth in the drivers' standings with 98 points. Philipp Eng (AUT) retired on Sunday with a puncture. He ended the season with 64 points in 14th place in the drivers' standings. Leon Koehler (GER) drove on his second race weekend in the #10 BMW M4 GT3 in eighth place in the points for the first time on Sunday. Walkenhorst Motorsport took eleventh place in the team classification with 101 points.