Autosport Top 50 of 2024: #33 Mirko Bortolotti

After ending runner-up in 2023, Mirko Bortolotti went one higher by delivering his maiden DTM crown with a constant marketing campaign. There was just one win, a well-judged wet-dry affair at the Red Bull Ring, however no person eclipsed the SSR Lamborghini Huracan driver’s tally of seven podiums.

He confirmed metal too, warding off a prepare of automobiles headed by chief rival Kelvin van der Linde for second at Zandvoort with a delaminating left-rear tyre. Elsewhere, Bortolotti was a part of Iron Lynx’s crew that claimed GTD Professional spoils at Petit Le Mans and made his Hypercar debut within the disappointing SC63 LMDh.

Pushing for perfection 

Mirko Bortolotti reckons there’s no such factor as an ideal season. However the Italian believes “we had been tremendous near that” within the DTM this yr.

Remaining with SSR, a number of the niggling issues that had been maybe inevitable because the staff adjusted from operating Porsches had been ironed out in 2024. Bortolotti not solely scored factors in each race, however maybe the best indicator of his formidable power could be seen in his qualifying report.  

The DTM awards factors to the highest three drivers in every qualifying session, and Bortolotti picked up bonus factors in 10 out of 16 races. That meant a tally of 20 factors scored in qualifying, in comparison with 11 for Kelvin van der Linde, who trailed by 17 on the finish of the marketing campaign. Against this, in 2023 Bortolotti collected bonus factors on six events in qualifying, amassing six fewer factors than he did this time period. 

The 34-year-old, who has raced the Huracan in yearly bar one since 2015 when he spent 2020 with Audi, stresses that “I do not suppose we improved the efficiency essentially; I believe we managed to maintain a extremely excessive stage coming from final season”.

However it’s clear that what was already a powerful mixture absolutely exploited its potential in a extra full vogue in 2024 as Bortolotti grew to become the primary driver not racing for a German model to overcome the DTM since Nicola Larini drove an Alfa Romeo 155 in 1993. 

“The continuity of staying along with precisely the identical working group, benefiting from all the things we managed to study from the primary season, the primary season ever for SSR working] on a Lamborghini, I believe that made a distinction as a result of we managed to deal with a number of conditions in a a lot better means, additionally mentally in comparison with final yr,” displays Bortolotti. “The title was not gained on true efficiency.” 

For proof of that, he factors to the very fact his sole victory got here on the Purple Bull Ring “in blended situations with the proper technique and ideal determination on beginning on moist tyres with the best tyre stress. This exhibits that we’ve got grown up rather a lot as a staff this season”.  

Bortolotti regards his DTM title because the “highest ranked by far” of his racing achievements thus far, which embody profitable the Blancpain Endurance Sequence and its Endurance Cup crown in 2017.

Having trailed van der Linde heading into the ultimate race of the season, the place he took second at Hockenheim, Bortolotti concedes that “it was extraordinarily tough, on each single ingredient” to get the job achieved. He credit “managing the tough moments, the tough phases in a really skilled, mature means, with out making errors and with out throwing away necessary races” with getting him over the road.

Bortolotti picked up the DTM championship – his “highest ranked” up to now

Photograph by: Alexander Trienitz

The calibre of opposition solely elevates his success. It included three earlier champions in BMWs, defending champion Thomas Preining (Porsche) and the fast Emil Frey Ferrari of Jack Aitken who had extra pole positions (4) and led extra laps (135) than anyone. 

“It is tremendous difficult to be aggressive roughly all over the place on this setting and in this kind of [BoP] championship,” says Bortolotti.  

For proof of that, his SSR team-mate Nicki Thiim additionally gained as soon as however ended the yr thirteenth whereas Luca Engstler – who gained twice – ended up 14th in his family-run Huracan.

Bortolotti was a part of the crew that gained GTD Professional at Petit Le Mans, including to his DTM triumph

Photograph by: Richard Dole / Motorsport Pictures