BMW Schubert test accident leaves Rene Rast hurt: front axle components fractured

In the heart of Austria, the Red Bull Ring played host to a DTM test day filled with excitement and intrigue. The day was marked by the involvement of twelve DTM cars from six teams: Dörr-McLaren, Comtoyou-Aston-Martin, Schubert-BMW, GRT-Lamborghini, HRT-Ford, and Landgraf-Mercedes. Each team had one or two cars present at the test.

The test day started on a high note for DTM rookie, Gilles Magnus, who secured the second-fastest time of the day with a personal best of 1:28.004 minutes. Interestingly, Magnus set his fastest lap in the morning session, putting him in a strong position for the rest of the day.

However, the day took a turn when BMW driver Rene Rast was involved in a crash during the afternoon session. The incident occurred during Rast's eleventh lap on the Formula 1 course. Despite the crash, Rast walked away unharmed.

Contrary to initial speculations, the accidents of Rast and his teammate Marco Wittmann at almost the same spot, the final corner at the Red Bull Ring, are unrelated. Rast's crash was caused by a technical issue—a broken track rod on the front axle—likely due to a mounting problem during setup work, not a material defect. The parts on the left front axle of Rast's BMW broke during the crash and are currently being examined and analyzed by BMW M Motorsport.

BMW does not believe there was a driving error by Rast, but rather a technical problem. Schubert-BMW Team Principal, Torsten Schubert, confirmed the incident on Tuesday afternoon. Rast completed 72 laps in the morning before the accident in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Wittmann completed 60 laps in the morning and an additional 63 laps in the afternoon, but his accident at the same spot a year earlier had different specifics.

In the race for the fastest time of the day, Ben Dörr of Dörr-McLaren took the lead in the afternoon session, recording a time of 1:27.986 minutes. Mirko Bortolotti, last year's DTM champion, was second fastest, with a time of 1:27.921 minutes in the 2024 qualifying sessions. Thierry Vermeulen finished third in the standings during the test.

Despite the unexpected incident involving Rast, the test day at the Red Bull Ring provided valuable insights and opportunities for the DTM teams as they continue their preparations for the upcoming season.