Whereas competing in a non-public check on the identical 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 submit on Instagram, Schmid posted a video with the caption “I am attempting to repeat Carlos Sainz”, referring to the Ferrari driver who missed the second spherical of the System 1 season in Saudi Arabia final month attributable to his personal appendicitis. Sainz later went on to win the Australian Grand Prix, the primary race of his comeback.
Talking to Autosport’s sister web site Motorsport-Complete.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. “In response to 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 workforce, which is new to the DTM this yr after inking a take care of McLaren to run a pair of 720S GT3 EVOs within the class.
The workforce’s second driver Ben Dorr is barely 19 years outdated and a relative newcomer to GT3 racing, thus Schmid’s huge sportscar expertise – albeit within the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 – is essential to assist the workforce hit the bottom operating this weekend.
Requested if the squad has had any various plans in case Schmid isn’t declared match by the beginning of follow on Friday, workforce supervisor Robin Dorr advised Motorsport-Complete.com: “We haven’t given it any thought in the intervening time.
Photograph by: Alexander Trienitz
“We’ll simply await the operation and maintain our toes nonetheless till we all know how he is doing.
“We maintain our fingers crossed for Clemens and anticipate him to be initially at our DTM premiere.”
Schmid had beforehand set the Dorr workforce’s greatest time within the official Hockenheim check, which preceded final week’s non-public operating 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 under three choose rounds in 2021 as a part of a partial entry from JP Motorsport.