Whereas competing in a non-public take a look at on the similar venue final Thursday, Schmid reported bodily discomfort and made a visit to hospital late within the day, the place it was found that the ache was attributable to his appendix.
In a publish on Instagram, Schmid posted a video with the caption “I am making an attempt to repeat Carlos Sainz”, referring to the Ferrari driver who missed the second spherical of the System 1 season in Saudi Arabia final month as a consequence of his personal appendicitis. Sainz later went on to win the Australian Grand Prix, the primary race of his comeback.
Chatting with Autosport’s sister web site Motorsport-Whole.com, Schmid confirmed that he’s getting an operation, however was optimistic of competing within the first two races of 2024 in Germany on 26-28 April.
“I am having an operation,” he mentioned. “Based on the docs, the beginning in Oschersleben ought to work if the operation goes easily.”
Schmid’s absence from the opening spherical could be a bitter blow for the Dorr staff, which is new to the DTM this yr after inking a cope with McLaren to run a pair of 720S GT3 EVOs within the class.
The staff’s second driver Ben Dorr is just 19 years previous and a relative newcomer to GT3 racing, thus Schmid’s huge sportscar expertise – albeit within the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 – is essential to assist the staff hit the bottom working this weekend.
Requested if the squad has had any various plans in case Schmid is just not declared match by the beginning of apply on Friday, staff supervisor Robin Dorr instructed Motorsport-Whole.com: “We haven’t given it any thought in the meanwhile.
Picture by: Alexander Trienitz
“We’ll simply look forward to the operation and hold our toes nonetheless till we all know how he is doing.
“We hold our fingers crossed for Clemens and count on him to be in the beginning at our DTM premiere.”
Schmid had beforehand set the Dorr staff’s finest time within the official Hockenheim take a look at, which preceded final week’s non-public working at Oschersleben. His effort of 1m38.038s was just below a second slower than Rene Rast’s chart-topping time of 1m37.077s within the Schubert BMW M4 GT3.
This yr marks the primary time McLaren is represented within the DTM for a full season, with a 720S GT3 beforehand that includes on the grid for less than three choose rounds in 2021 as a part of a partial entry from JP Motorsport.