Esteban Muth: “Extremely encouraging progress”

With 29 cars on the starting grid and a star-studded entry list, the 2022 DTM is looking particularly good this season. Unimpressed by the CVs of his rivals, Esteban Muth already has his place in the field. After passing his entrance examination with flying colours last year, the 20 year old from Brussels has been given the trust of BMW M Motorsport and the Walkenhorst Motorsport team to drive one of the four BMW M4 GT3s entered. 

This BMW M4 GT3 is a brand new car,” recalls the young Belgian. “Logically, we are still in a learning phase and this is even more true for me. Apart from the official DTM tests, I have not had the opportunity to drive the car before the season. In addition, I am new to the Walkenhorst Motorsport team and it was my first time at the Portimão circuit. So I knew that it would be a big challenge for the start of the championship...”

Throughout the weekend, Esteban Muth never stopped improving. “The first qualifying session went badly, with only 28th place on the grid,” he explained. “But I knew why... In the race, the pace was already much better and, thanks to several overtaking manoeuvres and some racing incidents ahead, I was able to climb up to 14th place." 

The man known in the paddock as “the Overtaker” confirmed his reputation. The next day, he made significant progress with a 16th place on the starting grid. “However, I was pushed around during the first lap and lost a few places,” he says. “But I was able to climb back up to 14th position. What I am most happy about is that my pace was still much better than the day before. In the race I was on average about two tenths of a second slower than my teammate Marco Wittmann, who is one of the stars of the championship and who has been actively involved in the development of the car. The team and I were delighted with my progress. Now we will analyse this weekend in detail so that we can come back stronger for the next meeting. Even though the DTM field has not been this strong for a long time, my aim is clearly to get into the top 10 as soon as possible!”

The Lausitzring, a circuit which is characterised by its impressive banking, will be the venue for the second of the eight meetings in the DTM season. Last year, Esteban finished in the top five in qualifying and scored points for the championship. This will be his goal again from 20 to 22 May!