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The turbulent seventh stop of the 2022 DTM put Schubert Motorsport to the test last weekend at the Red Bull Ring. The BMW M Motorsport team from Oschersleben travelled to the Red Bull Ring in Austria leading both the driver and team standings. Difficult weather conditions provided the BMW M4 GT3s driven by Sheldon van der Linde and Philipp Eng with a challenging contest. After a strong qualifying from the two BMW factory drivers, Philipp Eng captured a valuable fifth place on Sunday. Sheldon van der Linde held on to first place in the overall standings despite two difficult races. Ahead of the finale at Hockenheim, he is eleven points ahead of his first challenger. Schubert Motorsport leads the team standings by 43 points.

A change in the weather played into the cards for Torsten Schubert's team on Sunday morning. Heavy rain gave the engineers and the drivers the opportunity to compensate for the disadvantages in the BoP. In qualifying, the water on the track increased by the minute and several accidents by the competition caused three red flags. Philipp Eng and Sheldon van der Linde mastered the difficult conditions brilliantly and finished fifth and sixth. Due to various grid penalties in the field of 27 GT professionals, they ended up on rows two and eight of the grid.

The race over a distance of 55 minutes plus one lap started on a wet track. The downpour had subsided in time for the start, but the conditions still required the use of rain tyres due to the standing water. After two formation laps, race control initiated the start in single file. Philipp Eng took advantage of his good starting position and moved up to third place. Sheldon van der Linde, on the other hand, dropped to the back of the field after a driving error.

The increasingly drying track turned the race into a thrilling strategy poker. On lap 13, the pitwall decided to box Philipp Eng for new rain tyres. The 32-year-old Austrian drove to the finish on this second set of tyres. In the closing minutes, he defended himself with all he had against the competition on slicks and secured fifth place after 35 laps. Sheldon van der Linde switched onto dry tyres on lap 23. With fast lap times, he gained ground rapidly towards the end. In eleventh place, the 23-year-old South African missed out on a points result by a whisker.

Saturday had not provided Schubert Motorsport with the reward they deserved in best weather conditions. Due to the classification of the BMW M4 GT3 in the DTM regulations, Philipp Eng and Sheldon van der Linde fell well short of their high expectations, starting 24th and 16th respectively. The latter had an additional 15 kg of success ballast on board following his second place in Sunday's heat at Spa-Francorchamps. In the race, both drivers progressed towards the front right from the start. Sheldon van der Linde made up four positions on the starting lap. Philipp Eng even overtook nine rivals.

In the heavy traffic of the midfield, the strategists opted for early pit stops. The number 31 car came in for a tyre change on lap seven, while his teammate stayed out for two more laps. The strategy worked on both sides. On lap 27, Sheldon van der Linde and Philipp Eng were right behind the points positions. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to make it into the top 10. They crossed the finish line eleventh and twelfth places after 38 laps.

Philipp Eng (AUT)

BMW M4 GT3 - #25

Qualifying 1: P24 - Race 1: P12

Qualifying 2: P5 - Race 2: P5

Philipp Eng: "We managed to turn things around well after some difficulties on Saturday. We coped really well with the very wet conditions on Sunday – it helped that we had done testing here and were well prepared. The race started superbly and I got to third place quickly. Once the circuit started to dry out slowly, I no longer had the pace that I needed to reach the podium in the end. It is disappointing that it didn't work out, as it would have been fantastic to be on the podium in my home race. However, the team did a good job."

Sheldon van der Linde (RSA)

BMW M4 GT3 - #31

Qualifying 1: P17 - Race 1: P11

Qualifying 2: P6 - Race 2: P11

Sheldon van der Linde: "We did not do a good job this weekend. My track limits penalty from Saturday knocked us back on Sunday, and then I made that error on lap one. The deficit was simply too large for us to finish in the points. However, all is not lost. I am still in the lead in the drivers’ championship. Now Hockenheim will be decisive and I really believe in my team and in myself - and I believe that we can do it."

Team Manager Marcel Schmidt: "The weekend was not easy for us. We made good progress in both races, but despite Philipp's great fifth place, the points haul was not enough for our liking. On the one hand, the starting position was not easy, on the other hand, we definitely fell short of our possibilities. Small mistakes hurt especially in this phase of the championship. On the other hand, we have delivered consistently so far this season and are therefore still in a good position to fight for the championship at the finale. Our crew and our drivers have everything it takes to win this title. We are looking forward to Hockenheim and will give everything."