The DTM makes a stop at Germany’sHockenheimring over the weekend of 8-9 October. It thus renews a long-standing tradition that has often seen the motorsport venue near the historic University of Heidelberg play host to the grand finale of the German series. The eighth round of the 2022 season features two Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020s of Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse driven by Nick Cassidy and Felipe Fraga.
Aspirations. Nick Cassidy will take the wheel of the blue and white liveried number 37 Ferrari. He arrives after two wins at the Red Bull Ring and Spa-Francorchamps in the most recent rounds. The New Zealander will try to top the podium again at the 4,574-kilometre German circuit. The points at stake are crucial for the thirty-seven-year-old driver to climb the standings. The Kiwi holds twelfth place on 64 points, despite appearing in only five rounds, having also competed in Formula E this season.
Felipe Fraga, in the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 74, will be gunning for a result on the fast Hockenheim circuit. Here, DTM cars reach a top speed of around 265 kilometres per hour. The Brazilian, who took a win at the Norisring this season, has been unlucky in recent races. He lies fourteenth in the drivers’ standings, two points behind his teammate. The round is also crucial for Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse, currently third in the team standings.
Appointments. The track programme is spread over three days. Two forty-five-minute free practice sessions are scheduled for Friday, 7 October, from 12.10pm and 3.50pm. Saturday’s qualifying, from 10.05am, decides the starting grid for Race-1, which kicks off at 1.30pm. On Sunday, 9 October, qualifying starts at 10.10am, the second race heat at 1.30pm.