Engel withdraws from Mercedes DTM squad for Formula E focus
Maro Engel has opted to step away from the Mercedes DTM line-up in order to concentrate on his Formula E and GT racing commitments in 2018.
The factory Mercedes driver returned to DTM last year with the HWA Team, going on to clinch his maiden race win in the series in race two in Moscow, on his way to 15th place in the drivers’ championship.
Maro Engel has opted to step away from the Mercedes DTM line-up in order to concentrate on his Formula E and GT racing commitments in 2018.
The factory Mercedes driver returned to DTM last year with the HWA Team, going on to clinch his maiden race win in the series in race two in Moscow, on his way to 15th place in the drivers’ championship.
With two rounds of 2018 DTM race weekends clashing with 2017/18 Formula E rounds Engel has opted to miss the German touring car championship to fully focus on the all-electric series plus his efforts for the AMG GT3 squad.
Engel currently competes in Formula E for the Venturi squad with Mercedes set to join the series by the 2019/20 season. Venturi recently began a partnership with Mercedes specialists HWA in Formula E.
"I still had a small score to settle after my first stint in the DTM, which I was able to put right last year by taking my maiden win in Moscow,” Engel said. “I'm very grateful to the team for making that possible. Thank you very much to the entire team for a fantastic time.
“It's a pity that the Formula E and the DTM racing calendars overlap to some extent this season. Unfortunately, there's no easy solution, because I would love to be lining up again in the DTM, especially as it's Mercedes-AMG's final year in the series. With an eye to the future, though, we decided that I would concentrate fully on Formula E and GT racing in 2018.
“However, I intend to be at some of the team's races and hope they can bring the title back to Stuttgart and Affalterbach in their swan-song year."
Mercedes is yet to formally announce its final DTM driver line-up in 2018 before withdrawing from the series at the end of the season.
Engel’s Venturi team-mate Edoardo Mortara, who also drove for the HWA team in DTM, faces the same predicament with Formula E and DTM clashes in 2018 but the Mercedes-supported squad is yet to confirm the Swiss driver’s racing plans.
Tom Blomqvist also faced the same clash as Engel and Mortara and has opted to leave the BMW DTM squad to see out the 2017-18 Formula E campaign with the Andretti squad.
